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Review
. 2012 Mar 23;287(13):10070-10080.
doi: 10.1074/jbc.X112.351437. Epub 2012 Feb 8.

Role of basic science in the development of new medicines: examples from the eicosanoid field

Bengt Samuelsson  1
Affiliations
Review

Role of basic science in the development of new medicines: examples from the eicosanoid field

Bengt Samuelsson. J Biol Chem. .

Abstract

The role of basic science in the development of health care has received more and more attention. In my own area of research involving the so-called eicosanoids, there are many examples of how studies of structure and function of small molecules, as well as proteins and genes, have led to new therapeutic agents for treatment of a variety of diseases. In most of the cases, the discoveries have resulted in the recognition of novel therapeutic targets amenable to modulation by small molecules. However, there are also examples in which the molecular mechanisms of actions of drugs, discovered by phenotypic screening, have been elucidated. The majority of the examples in this article consist of approved drugs; however, in some cases, ongoing developments of potential therapeutics are cited.

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Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Ulf von Euler (left) and Sune Bergström (middle) with the author at an international conference on prostaglandins held in Florence, Italy, in 1975.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
E. J. Corey (left) and Robert B. Woodward (right) with the author at a conference in Uppsala, Sweden.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
Mechanism of prostaglandin biosynthesis.
FIGURE 4.
FIGURE 4.
Formation and biological effects of prostaglandins and thromboxane A2. NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; TXA2, thromboxane A2.
FIGURE 5.
FIGURE 5.
Transformations of PGH2 into thromboxane derivatives.
FIGURE 6.
FIGURE 6.
John Vane with the author at an international conference on prostaglandins held in 1975 in Florence, Italy.
FIGURE 7.
FIGURE 7.
Enzymes and metabolites in leukotriene biosynthesis. 5-HPETE, 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid.
FIGURE 8.
FIGURE 8.
Formation and biological effects of leukotrienes. 12-HHT, 12-l-hydroxy-5,8,10-heptadecatrienoic acid; Cys-LT, cysteinyl leukotriene.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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