L2: Sources of drugs & their nature Flashcards
Learning Objectives: • List some key points in the history of the pharmaceutical industry • List the main sources of drugs, giving examples from each source • Describe the key stages in the drug discovery process • Explain what is meant by the term “structure-activity relationship” and why it is important in drug development List the four phases of clinical trials and explain the main purpose of each phase
What did Paul Ehrlich do in 1909 that showed syphilis can be treated with arsenical compounds?
Dying bacteria
What was developed in 1932 used to treat syphilis?
‘Protonsol’- the 1st sulphonamid antibacterial
What did Sir James Black lead in 1960s,70s & 80s?
The era of ‘rational drug design’
What drug was withdrawn in 1961?
Thalidomide- drug used to treat morning sickness in pregnant women
What was developed to revolutionise the drug discovery process in the 1990s?
High throughput screening & combinatorial chemistry
When was the human genome mapped?
2002
What is used now (<2000) to increase development of ‘biologicals’
Using antibodies instead of small molecules
First stage of the drug discovery process
Basic research
2nd stage of the drug discovery process
Identification of potential drug targets
3rd stage of the drug discovery process
Hypothesis generated
What are assay systems?
Way of measuring something
Considerations during the drug discovery process
Safety issues, ethical issues, cost, intellectual property
What is a chemical library?
A collection of chemicals that can be used for high throughput screening for drug development
What is high throughput screening?
Large quantities of chemical compounds put through robotic assay systems to test initial activity
What is combinatorial chemistry?
Synthesis process that enables the production of large numbers of related compounds
