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Novel Targets in Drug DiscoveryPublished by: Drug and Market Development Publishing Published: Nov. 1, 2006 - 163 Pages Table of Contents
AbstractD&MD’s Novel Targets in Drug Discovery report provides an overview of the concept of drug targets, and discusses their place in modern drug discovery. The report looks at the role of technologies such as genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics in target identification, as well as describing the downstream processes such as target validation, lead discovery, lead optimization and clinical development. It also discusses the various types of drug targets using specific examples where appropriate and provides an overview of novel targets currently moving through advanced clinical trials.In recent years, the process of drug discovery has changed immeasurably. It has gone from a process that was largely disease-focused to one that is target-led. This change has been driven by a number of factors—among them technological advances and economic pressures. Under the old paradigm, drug discovery began with the identification of a human disease and the development of an animal model of it. Chemical compounds that ameliorated the animal disease were then used as the starting point for the development of a new therapeutic substance. The present approach focuses very much on the identification of potential drug targets, which are typically individual genes or gene products. If the gene underlying a particular disease can be identified, the reasoning goes, then the discovery of chemical compounds or biological agents that modulate the targets, and therefore hopefully treat the disease, can be automated. This approach should be vastly more efficient than dealing with animal models. However, not everyone agrees that this genetic reductionist approach is valid. While it appears superficially attractive, a number of objections, both theoretical and practical, have been raised. Nevertheless, it has been widely embraced by the pharmaceutical industry. Part of this acceptance is based on the increase pace of life sciences basic research over the past two decades. This report provides an overview of the concept of drug targets, and discusses their place in modern drug discovery. It looks at the role of technologies such as genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics in target identification, as well as describing the downstream processes such as target validation, lead discovery, lead optimization and clinical development. It also discusses the various types of drug targets using specific examples where appropriate and provides an overview of novel targets currently moving through advanced clinical trials. Get Full Details About This Report >> |
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