Lead Optimization in the Drug Discovery Process

2019 ◽  
pp. 62-79
Author(s):  
S. Lakshmana Prabu ◽  
Rathinasabapathy Thirumurugan
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Lead Optimization ◽  
Drug Candidate ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Parameters ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Compound Libraries ◽  
Lead Selection ◽  
Clinical Drug

Discovering a new drug molecule against disease is the main objective of drug discovery. Lead optimization is one of the important steps and acts as a starting point. Over the years, it has significantly changed the drug discovery process. Its main focus is the development of preclinical candidates from “Hit” or “Lead.” Lead optimization comprises lead selection and optimization, drug candidate confirmation, and preclinical drug characterization. Lead optimization process can improve the effectiveness towards its target potency, selectivity, protein binding, pharmacokinetic parameters, and to develop a good preclinical candidate. Lead optimization from high-throughput screening to identification of clinical drug candidate is a seamless process that draws new techniques for accelerated synthesis, purification, screening from iterative compound libraries, validation, and to deliver clinical drug candidate with limited human resources. In conclusion, lead optimization phase is done under the suggestion that the optimized lead molecule will have activity against a particular disease.

High-Throughput siRNA-Based Functional Target Validation

2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 286-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Xin ◽  
Alejandro Bernal ◽  
Frank A. Amato ◽  
Albert Pinhasov ◽  
Jack Kauffman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Target Validation ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Functional Identification ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Lead Compounds

The drug discovery process pursued by major pharmaceutical companies for many years starts with target identification followed by high-throughput screening (HTS) with the goal of identifying lead compounds. To accomplish this goal, significant resources are invested into automation of the screening process or HTS. Robotic systems capable of handling thousands of data points per day are implemented across the pharmaceutical sector. Many of these systems are amenable to handling cell-based screening protocols as well. On the other hand, as companies strive to develop innovative products based on novel mechanisms of action(s), one of the current bottlenecks of the industry is the target validation process. Traditionally, bioinformatics and HTS groups operate separately at different stages of the drug discovery process. The authors describe the convergence and integration of HTS and bioinformatics to perform high-throughput target functional identification and validation. As an example of this approach, they initiated a project with a functional cell-based screen for a biological process of interest using libraries of small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules. In this protocol, siRNAs function as potent gene-specific inhibitors. siRNA-mediated knockdown of the target genes is confirmed by TaqMan analysis, and genes with impacts on biological functions of interest are selected for further analysis. Once the genes are confirmed and further validated, they may be used for HTS to yield lead compounds.

scholarly journals Protein X-ray Crystallography and Drug Discovery

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Maveyraud ◽  
Lionel Mourey
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Compound Libraries ◽  
Fragment Library ◽  
Invaluable Tool

With the advent of structural biology in the drug discovery process, medicinal chemists gained the opportunity to use detailed structural information in order to progress screening hits into leads or drug candidates. X-ray crystallography has proven to be an invaluable tool in this respect, as it is able to provide exquisitely comprehensive structural information about the interaction of a ligand with a pharmacological target. As fragment-based drug discovery emerged in the recent years, X-ray crystallography has also become a powerful screening technology, able to provide structural information on complexes involving low-molecular weight compounds, despite weak binding affinities. Given the low numbers of compounds needed in a fragment library, compared to the hundreds of thousand usually present in drug-like compound libraries, it now becomes feasible to screen a whole fragment library using X-ray crystallography, providing a wealth of structural details that will fuel the fragment to drug process. Here, we review theoretical and practical aspects as well as the pros and cons of using X-ray crystallography in the drug discovery process.

scholarly journals Chemical fragment arrays for rapid druggability assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (58) ◽  
pp. 9067-9070 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Aretz ◽  
Y. Kondoh ◽  
K. Honda ◽  
U. R. Anumala ◽  
M. Nazaré ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Target Proteins

Incorporation of early druggability assessment in the drug discovery process provides a means to prioritize target proteins for high-throughput screening.

scholarly journals Managing laboratory automation: integration and informatics in drug discovery

2000 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 169-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Manly
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Combinatorial Chemistry ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Laboratory Automation ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Modern Drug

Drug discovery today requires the focused use of laboratory automation and other resources in combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening (HTS). The ultimate value of both combinatorial chemistry and HTS technologies and the lasting impact they will have on the drug discovery process is a chapter that remains to be written. Central to their success and impact is how well they are integrated with each other and with the rest of the drug discovery processes-informatics is key to this success. This presentation focuses on informatics and the integration of the disciplines of combinatorial chemistry and HTS in modern drug discovery. Examples from experiences at Neurogen from the last five years are described.

Ultra-High Throughput Screening

1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 24-29
Author(s):  
Chris Shumate ◽  
Scott Beckey ◽  
Peter Coassin ◽  
Harry Stylli
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Fluorescent Assay ◽  
Integrated Technology ◽  
Lead Compounds ◽  
Traditional Drug ◽  
Time Required

Aurora Biosciences Corporation designs and develops proprietary drug discovery systems, services and technologies to accelerate and enhance the discovery of new pharmaceuticals. Aurora is developing an integrated technology platform centered around two technologies; 1) a portfolio of proprietary fluorescent assay technologies and, 2) an ultra-high throughput screening (“UHTS”) system designed to allow assay miniaturization and to overcome many of the limitations associated with the traditional drug discovery process. This approach takes advantage of the opportunities created by recent advances in genomics and combinatorial chemistry that have generated many new therapeutic targets and an abundance of new small molecule compounds. Aurora believes its integrated platform will accelerate the drug discovery process by shortening the time required to identify high quality lead compounds and to optimize those compounds into drug development candidates.

Bead-based screening in chemical biology and drug discovery

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (50) ◽  
pp. 6759-6771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitaly V. Komnatnyy ◽  
Thomas E. Nielsen ◽  
Katrine Qvortrup
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Chemical Biology ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process

High-throughput screening is an important component of the drug discovery process.

ReAction!

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Griep ◽  
Marjorie L. Mikasen
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Trial And Error ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Special Effects ◽  
Invisible Man ◽  
Feature Films ◽  
The World ◽  
Chemical Companies

ReAction! gives a scientist's and artist's response to the dark and bright sides of chemistry found in 140 films, most of them contemporary Hollywood feature films but also a few documentaries, shorts, silents, and international films. Even though there are some examples of screen chemistry between the actors and of behind-the-scenes special effects, this book is really about the chemistry when it is part of the narrative. It is about the dualities of Dr. Jekyll vs. inventor chemists, the invisible man vs. forensic chemists, chemical weapons vs. classroom chemistry, chemical companies that knowingly pollute the environment vs. altruistic research chemists trying to make the world a better place to live, and, finally, about people who choose to experiment with mind-altering drugs vs. the drug discovery process. Little did Jekyll know when he brought the Hyde formula to his lips that his personality split would provide the central metaphor that would come to describe chemistry in the movies. This book explores the two movie faces of this supposedly neutral science. Watching films with chemical eyes, Dr. Jekyll is recast as a chemist engaged in psychopharmaceutical research but who becomes addicted to his own formula. He is balanced by the often wacky inventor chemists who make their discoveries by trial-and-error.

scholarly journals Partitioning Pattern of Natural Products Based on Molecular Properties Descriptors Representing Drug-Likeness

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 546
Author(s):  
Miroslava Nedyalkova ◽  
Vasil Simeonov
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Target Prediction ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Unique Source ◽  
The Times ◽  
Partitioning Pattern

A cheminformatics procedure for a partitioning model based on 135 natural compounds including Flavonoids, Saponins, Alkaloids, Terpenes and Triterpenes with drug-like features based on a descriptors pool was developed. The knowledge about the applicability of natural products as a unique source for the development of new candidates towards deadly infectious disease is a contemporary challenge for drug discovery. We propose a partitioning scheme for unveiling drug-likeness candidates with properties that are important for a prompt and efficient drug discovery process. In the present study, the vantage point is about the matching of descriptors to build the partitioning model applied to natural compounds with diversity in structures and complexity of action towards the severe diseases, as the actual SARS-CoV-2 virus. In the times of the de novo design techniques, such tools based on a chemometric and symmetrical effect by the implied descriptors represent another noticeable sign for the power and level of the descriptors applicability in drug discovery in establishing activity and target prediction pipeline for unknown drugs properties.

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