Revolutions in Drug Discovery

A tremendous noticeable change in the process of drug discovery in the past three decades has been focused solely on the biotechnology revolution . In short, the techniques employed invariably in molecular biology and biotechnology opened up an altogether new trend in biomedical research . 

In 1997, a staggering 1150 companies were established based on biotechnology , engaging three lacs research scientists working roimd-the-clock, and generated USD 12 billion. The six major biotech companies in USA, established in mid 1980s, now proudly enjoys the number one status not only in US but also in rest of the world, namely  

In order to significantly cut down the overhead expenses, and encash on sizable profitability various giants in the pharmaceutical industry have more or less adopted the following stringent measures to face the cut-throat competition in the global market and also survive gainfully, such as  

Interestingly, the drug discovery process may be categorized into four distinct heads, namely (/) Target identification and selection, 

The concerted efforts encompassing various intangible and critical methodologies that ultimately relate to the activities, expertise, wisdom and integration of the individual scientist directly or indirectly involved in drug discovery process virtually leads to advance drug discovery profiles.  

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Beeley, N., Berger, A. (2000) A revolution in drug discovery. Combinatorial chemistry still needs logic to drive science forward. BMJ[Br Med//321(7261), 581-582. 

Most pharmaceutical companies have research programs in genomics/proteomics. The omics revolution was initially hailed as a revolution in drug discovery. While these modern technologies may well help identify a host of putative new biopharmaceuticals (see also Part I, Chapters 4 and 5), they almost certainly will have a far more significant impact upon identifying... 

Banks R E et al 2000 Proteomics new perspectives, new biomedical opportunities. Lancet 356 1749-1756 Beeley N, Berger A 2000 A revolution in dmg discovery combinatorial chemistry stiU needs logic to drive science forward. British Medical Journal 321 581-582 Black J W 1986 Pharmacology analysis and exploration. British Medical Journal 293 252 Crystal R G 1995 The gene as a drug. Nature Medicine 1 15... 

For a concise review of ROF and its utility in drug discovery, see Lipinski, C.A. Lead- and drug-like compounds The rule-of-five revolution. Drug Discovery Today Technol. 2004, 1, 337-341. 

In parallel to bioanalytical revolution, the drug discovery revolution continues inexorably forward. Today, we not only benefit from revolutionary new medicines that have dramatically improved our quality of life, but we expect even more to come. Compound collections have ballooned through combinatorial library synthesis and advancements in biological science mapped the human genome while we impatiently await the promise of genetically tailored medicines that will treat every ailment. 

Donnelly B. Data integration technologies an unfulfilled revolution in the drug discovery process Biosilico 2003 1 59-63. 

As the drug discovery process increased in intensity in the mid- to late 20th century, primarily as a result of the major screening and chemical synthetic efforts in the pharmaceutical industry in industrialized countries worldwide, but also as a result of the biotechnology revolution, the need for increased sophistication and efficacy in (1) how to discover new drugs, (2) how to reproducibly prepare bulk chemicals, (3) how to determine the activity and safety of new drug candidates in preclinical animal models prior to their... 

Even here, with well-established approaches, we see the influence of the information age. Employing computers to determine receptor structure and, thus, possible receptive blockers has become a useful tool in the drug discovery process. Computer-assisted drug synthesis has great potential. The revolution in this aspect of synthetic chemistry is analogous to the revolution that computers caused in the animation industry. Where once dozens of artists were necessary, computers have now replaced them, creating "life-like" animations that were not previously feasible. The same type of revolution will occur in the chemical drug synthetic industry. 

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