Expression profiling and pharmacogenomics of muscle and muscle disease

Parallel technologies are emerging for the study of DNA (single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and association studies), and RNA (microarrays and expression profiling). Muscle tissue has many intrinsic features that make it the tissue of choice to model the application of these newly emerging technologies. Well-preserved human biopsies are readily available both from volunteers undergoing specific muscle training protocols and from neuromuscular disease patients. Furthermore, the rapid adaptation of muscle to environmental cues (e.g. exercise, conditioning and weightlessness) makes it possible to conduct time series data in humans (molecular cause and effect). Muscle is also important in drug metabolism and adverse events, and the application of single nucleotide polymorphism association studies in muscle pharmacogenomics is a field of expected future growth.