Medicines from nature: are natural products still relevant to drug discovery?

Abstract

Historically, most drugs have been derived from natural products, but there has been a shift away from their use with the increasing predominance of molecular approaches to drug discovery. Nevertheless, their structural diversity makes them a valuable source of novel lead compounds against newly discovered therapeutic targets. Technical advances in analytical techniques mean that the use of natural products is easier than before. However, there is a widening gap between natural-product researchers in countries rich in biodiversity and drug discovery scientists immersed in proteomics and high-throughput screening.