Midterm 1 Discovery Flashcards
How is the Lead Discovery stage defined (start -> end)?
First molecule hit -> lead molecule with confirmed in vivo bioactivity
What is the primary objective of drug discovery?
Maximizing number of drug candidates with ‘quality’ product features
What are major decision-making events in drug discovery?
Scientific proof-of-concept, Qualified biological target established for high-throughput screening (HTS), Bioactive molecule hits identified, lead molecule class with bioactivity in an animal molecule in vivo identified
What is the definition of a ligand in drug discovery?
Natural chemicals which bind receptors for cellular activity
At the end of what drug discovery stage will the decision be made to move a drug candidate into development?
Lead optimization
What is the objective of the Idea Generation stage in drug discovery?
Establish a research plan including criteria to demonstrate scientific proof-of-concept
What is a LEAD molecule?
First molecule with demonstrated bioactivity in a disease-relevant animal model
What stage is not considered a drug discovery stage?
Preclinical Development
What activities have to be considered in order to establish scientific proof of concept?
- Assessment of the scientific and technological environment
- Scientific working hypothesis or problem statement
- Planning & conduct of key scientific experiments
- Assessment of scientific risks and uncertainties
What is the objective of the screening development stage?
Identify a first molecule hit with initial bioactivity
What is the definition of a drug?
- A small organic molecule that interacts with a biological target triggering a physiological effect
- A large biologic molecule that interacts with a biological target triggering a physiological effect
- An exogeneous chemical (or biologic) that affects one or more biological processes
Which protein listed is not a biological target?
- RAF-1 Kinase
- AVASTIN
- Cyclooxygenase-1
- HIV-1 protease
- 5-HT serotonin receptor
BELVIQ (Lorcasterin) is an approved drug for the treatment of obesity in the following drug class
Selective 5-HT receptor agonist
What statement describing a biological target does not apply?
- Biological targets are generally proteins for drug intervention
- Role of biological targets in a disease can be qualified & validated
- Biological targets may have differences on how critical they are for one specific disease
- Biological targets show differences on how susceptible they are to drug intervention
- All biological targets are equally susceptible to drug intervention
What molecules are the natural ligands cyclooxygenase enzyme?
Arachidonic acids
What is ASPIRIN’s Mechanism-of-Action as an anti-inflammatory drug?
Non-selective COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor due to acetylation of Serin-510 amino acid at the cyclooxygenase active site
What are the forces responsible for drug target binding, affinity and selectivity?
- Hydrophobic interactions and Van der waals forces
- Hydrogen bonding
- Ionic bonding
- Charge transfer interactions
NEXAVAR’s strong binding to the RAF-1 kinase active site is primarily based on
3 hydrogen bonds of the urea pharmacophore
What is the key pharmacophore shared by INVIRASE, VIRACEPT, and AGENERASE?
Hydroxyethylene structure, inhibiting the HIV Protease active site
What are pharmacophores?
Molecule structures identified during SAR which have proven to be essential for bioactivity