Introduction and the drug discovery process Flashcards
What is a drug
Compounds that interact with a biological system to produce a biological response
What else are drugs named as?
Active pharmaceutical ingredients
What are the 4 classifications of a drug?
Natural Products
Fermentation Products
Semi-synthetics
Completely synthetic products
What is medicinal chemistry the study of?
The study of chemicals which have potential beneficial effects on disordered living systems
What are the main molecular targets for drugs
Proteins
What are the two steps of Drug discovery
1-identify a specific Biological target that plays a key role on disease
2-Identify initial compounds that interacts with target
What is QSAR
Quantitative structure-activity relationships
What are the 2 aims of drug design
1-Improve the properties of the lead compounds to enhance efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic profiles.
2-Evaluate the safety and efficacy of the lead compounds in preclinical studies
What are the 8 stages of drug discovery
Target Identification and Validation
* Hit Generation
* Hit-to-Lead Optimization
* Lead Optimization
* Preclinical Development
* Clinical Development (Phase I, II, III)
* Regulatory Approval
* Post-Marketing Surveillance
Define target identification
The process of identifying a specific biological molecule associated with a disease and validating their relevance for drug development
What are the 4 processes involved in target identification
1-disease understanding
2-Genomic approaches
3-proteomic approaches
4-Pathway analysis
What is disease understanding?
understanding the molecular and cellular basis of the disease
Define genomics
The science of genes
What is a genomic approach?
using genomic data to help identify potential genetic factors linked to disease
Define proteomic?
Large study of proteins
What is a proteomic approach?
The use of proteomic techniques to identify proteins that play a role in disease
What is pathway analysis?
can identify key signalling pathways associated with the disease
What is target validation?
The process of validating the selected target to confirm its role in the disease
What are the 2 steps in target validation?
1-genetic validation
2- pharmalogical validation
