Korean Pharmacogenomic Database: Pharmacogenomic Haplotype Analysis of the Korean Population and Ethnic Comparisons

The major aim of the Korean Pharmacogenomic Database (KPD) is to offer to users a "bridging" function, making the search for useful information easier. This database has also been established to collect unique Korean genotype data from other databases and to directly link these data to other major databases that offer more informative data. In this way, searches for information about new drug developments and easier and faster evaluation of the more complex and larger databases are possible. The KPD is located at the National Institute of Toxicological Research homepage (http://www.nitr.go.kr/nitr/contents/m134700/view.do), and offers Korean single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) information for 154 genes and haplotype information. It also compares the Korean SNP and haplotype frequencies with those of the other ethnic groups registered in the International HapMap. Through the Pharmacogenomic Information and Education facility, we also provide evaluators and the public with information about the concept of pharmacogenomic information, research trends, and the drug regulations of other countries. Because the drug responses of Koreans are not necessarily the same as those of Chinese or Japanese people, it is expected that the systematic operation of the KPD will allow the definition of racial differences and various genomic biomarkers (haplotypes or SNPs) for use in bridging studies and in the approval of new drugs.