May 2005 The 12th Meeting of the Pacific Rim Association for Clinical Pharmacogenetics (PRACP) was held on April 17 and 18 at the Kyoto International Conference Hall, immediately preceding the International Human Genome Meeting at the same venue. More than hundred distinguished delegates from the Pacific Rim countries, Australia, North America and Europe representing academia, government and the pharmaceutical industry attended the meeting. As President, my special thanks to the Organizing Committee, Professor Kazutaka Shimoda, the Chair of the Organizing Committee, and all delegates who helped to make this event a very productive and stimulating conference. The keynote lecture was delivered by Professor Leif Bertilsson from the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) on "Pharmacogenetics of the Disposition of Psychotropic Drugs". The scientific program consisted of two symposia entitled “Pharmacogenetic and Pharmacogenomic Research Evolution in Asian and Pacific Rim Countries” and “Pharmacogenomics and Adverse Drug Reactions”. We were particularly pleased with the wide range and specialized focus of oral and poster presentations. The program was further complemented through special lectures delivered by Professors Anna Di Rienzo “Population Variation and Comparative Genomics in Pharmacogenetics” (University of Chicago) and Takashi Ishizaki “CYP2C19 Pharmacogenomics based Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy for Peptic Ulcer and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease” (Teikyo Heisei University, Japan). Additionally, cutting edge lecture from young scientists (Dr. Yoshihiro Maruo, Shiga University, Japan), and the state of the art lecture (by Dr. Tadafumi Kato) on timely and emerging topics on clinical pharmacogenetics were presented. The PRACP Executive Board elected the councilors for the 2006-2009 term. Notably, 10 new councilors from six countries and geographical regions were appointed to increase representation in human genetics and therapeutic areas including and extending beyond central nervous system diseases. To this end, an Academic and Public Affairs Committee was also established to facilitate the strategic position and communication of the PRACP scientific mandate within the pharmacogenetic and medical research community (Chaired by Drs. Vural Ozdemir, Anna Di Rienzo and Min-Soo Lee). In addition, the PRACP Board recognized the important and enduring contributions made by former presidents of the society; the title of “Emeritus President” was given to Professors Werner Kalow, Saburo Takahashi, Keh-Ming Lin and Siu-Wa Tang. The Executive Board elected me as the PRACP President for the 2006-2007 term to maintain our momentum, along with Professors Christopher Reist (Secretary-General), Lawrence J. Albers (Treasurer), Kazutaka Shimoda (Chair, the Membership Committee) and Junichi Azuma (Chair, the Scientific Committee). A full list of the PRACP Councilors is posted on the home page. I am pleased to inform you that the next meeting of the PRACP will be held in Changsha, China on June 28-30, 2006. Professor Hong-Hao Zhou will chair the meeting, with Professor John Miners and myself serving as co-chairs. Please visit the PRACP home page for detailed meeting information that will be available in the near future. Subsequent PRACP meetings will take place in Adelaide, Australia (December 2006) and then in Korea. Our meeting this year was particularly meaningful as it marked the 15th year since the first PRACP inaugural meeting held again in Kyoto in 1990. With the completion of the Human Genome Project and the launch of the International HapMap Project, many promising avenues of research and career opportunities are crystallizing on the horizon for the pharmacogeneticists. As well, patients, clinicians, insurers, pharmaceutical industry and policy-makers are noticeably paying attention to the promise of customized drug therapy based on the much anticipated pharmacogenetic tests that will be introduced in medical practice. Poised at the threshold of this increasingly palpable enthusiasm for pharmacogenetics, we should momentarily pause for reflection on recent advances (and challenges) in the field to gain a balanced context for the future. What are the unique strengths of the PRACP and our members? And how can we further sharpen our focus and approach to clinical pharmacogenetic research? The impetus for the PRACP was in part provided by a clear recognition and appreciation of the significance of inter-ethnic differences in drug efficacy and safety, a common thread that brought us together and shaped clinical pharmacogenetic research in our society for many years. More recently since late 1990s, pharmacogenomics, maintaining a broader scope of inquiry (often on a genome-wide scale), has differentiated itself from pharmacogenetics research. A frequently overlooked point, however, is that both pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics are inter-dependent: once a genetic locus is identified through pharmacogenomic search, it requires further characterization and testing by means of focused clinical pharmacogenetic research with candidate genes. Seen in this light, it is reasonable to anticipate that pharmacogenomics will invariably lead to, and into clinical pharmacogenetics. In this regard, a particular growing research interest in our field is "biomarker-bridging" studies to evaluate whether, and to what extent, genetic biomarkers of drug response identified in a certain population can be extrapolated to other human populations. This is necessary as variability in most drug effects have multifactorial and polygenic determinants, requiring independent validation efforts in various countries. It is in this very context that the PRACP is uniquely well-positioned to serve as a forum for open dialogue and timely translation of discoveries in pharmacogenetics among the Pacific Rim Countries and other geographical regions. Although our members are primarily comprised of scientists from the Pacific Rim Countries, we welcome contributions and membership from colleagues in any global region who share our interests in clinical pharmacogenetic research. In closing, I would like to state that one of our greatest assets, as the PRACP, is our members. We strive to establish a collegial scientific community and a culture of research built on the ideals of a meaningful contribution to pharmacogenetic research, its translation to patient care in an equitable and inclusive manner, and a "knowledge commons" wherein our members freely share with each other scientific expertise and their creativity. I am confident that many of you will join me at our next PRACP meeting in Changsha in 2006. Yours truly, Toshiyuki Someya, MD, PhD President, Pacific Rim Association for Clinical Pharmacogenetics Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences 757 Asahimachidori-ichibancho, Chuou-ku, Niigata 951-8510, Japan