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Review
. 2006;8(3):295-301.
doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2006.8.3/mspedding.

New directions for drug discovery

Michael Spedding  1
Affiliations
Review

New directions for drug discovery

Michael Spedding. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2006.

Abstract
in English, Spanish, French

Modern drug discovery demands an integrative approach, using many different technologies, but ultimately based on an understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease state to be treated. Targeting drugs at the main pathophysiological process is the key to success. This issue needs to be addressed with the multiple screening systems available, which can be used to find new leads.

El descubrimiento moderno de fármacos requiere de una aproximación integradora en que se utilizan diversas tecnologías, pero en último término se basa en la comprensión de la fisiopatología del curso clínico de la enfermedad para que así pueda ser tratada. La clave del éxito está en conseguir fármacos que apunten al proceso fisiopatológico central. Este tema necesita ser abordado con los múltiples sistemas de exploración disponibles, los que pueden utilizarse para encontrar nuevas posibles moléculas.

La découverte moderne de médicaments demande une approche intégrée, utilisant des technologies variées; elle est fondée sur la compréhension de la physiopathologie de la maladie à traiter. La clé du succès est de cibler les médicaments qui agissent sur le principal processus physiopathologique. Cette question doit être abordée à l'aide des nombreux systèmes de sélection des molécules existants afin de trouver de nouvelles pistes.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Research budget (billion $) and total number of US drug registrations in 2003.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Reasons for stopping clinical development of 121 compounds in clinical trials carried out by seven British companies. PK, pharmacokinetics
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Signaling genes in the human genome.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Screening of compound libraries: main pathway-dedicated platforms. GPC, G protein-coupled (Figure courtesy of Olivier Nosjean and Jean Boutin, Servier research).
Figure 5.
Figure 5.. The impact of stress on neuroplasticity may be a novel target for drugs in psychiatry, as stress inhibits plasticity in hippocampal and prefrontal cortex circuits while increasing plasticity in the circuits dealing with emotion (amygdala, prefrontal cortex).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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