Abstract: Individual response to drugs,toxicants,environmental chemicals and allergens varies with genotype. Some respond well to these substances without significant consequences,while others may respond strongly with severe consequences and even death. Toxicogenetics and toxicogenomics as well as pharmacogenetics explain the genetic basis for the variations of individual response to toxicants by sequencing the human genome and large-scale identification of genome polymorphism. The new disciplines will provide a new route for forensic specialists to determine the cause of death.

Key words: pharmacogenetics, gene polymorphism, SNP mapping, forensic medicine