Target Discovery And Validation Reviews And Protocols

These volumes review the most current methods for drug target discovery and validation. They explore how recent improvement in understanding the molecular mechanisms of human pathology is impacting drug target discovery in the laboratory and in real therapeutics, specifically for cancers and autoimmune disorders. This book provides a thorough review of the most cutting-edge methods available for each step in drug target identification, validation, and clinical application.

Target discovery is a field that has existed for several years but is so vibrant today because of the recent progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of many human diseases and the technical advances in target identification and validation. More sophisticated gene profiling technologies, such as DNA microarrays and serial analysis of gene expression, permit rapid identification of lead targets. Moreover, analysis of gene networks in living organisms allows the identification of target genes that operate in defined physiological pathways. With the sequencing of several genomes completed and the rapidly growing gene expression databases, there is now greater impetus than ever before for in silico discovery of therapeutic targets. Also, recent advances in genetic technologies have increased our ability to generate mouse models for human diseases. The implications of these genetically modified animals in drug development are several, including identification of new drug targets, predicting efficacy, and uncovering possible side effects. Together, these recent technical advances should allow researchers to make the most informed choice early and advance the chosen targets toward clinical studies. Regarding cancers, any difference between a cancer and a normal cell could potentially be exploited as a therapeutic target. The hope is that drugs targeting specific constituents or pathways in cancer cells will provide more effective therapy, either alone or in combination with other currently used anticancer drugs. In addition to drug targets, identifying new target antigens remains as much of a challenge as improving tumor vaccines already in the clinic.

This second edition book explores breakthrough technologies in the field of drug target identification and validation. The volume emphasizes particularly revolutionary technologies, such as CRISPR-related screening, "big data," and in silico approaches, as well as in vivo applications of CRISPR and best uses of animal models in drug development. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Fully updated and authoritative, Target Identification and Validation in Drug Discovery: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition is an ideal guide for molecular and cellular biologists, pharmacologists, pathologists, bioinformaticians, clinical researchers, or investigators, as well as experts in other fields that need a quick overview of these state-of-the-art technologies.

Target discovery is a field that has existed for several years but is so vibrant today because of the recent progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of many human diseases and the technical advances in target identification and validation. More sophisticated gene profiling technologies, such as DNA microarrays and serial analysis of gene expression, permit rapid identification of lead targets. Moreover, analysis of gene networks in living organisms allows the identification of target genes that operate in defined physiological pathways. With the sequencing of several genomes completed and the rapidly growing gene expression databases, there is now greater impetus than ever before for in silico discovery of therapeutic targets. Also, recent advances in genetic technologies have increased our ability to generate mouse models for human diseases. The implications of these genetically modified animals in drug development are several, including identification of new drug targets, predicting efficacy, and uncovering possible side effects. Together, these recent technical advances should allow researchers to make the most informed choice early and advance the chosen targets toward clinical studies. Regarding cancers, any difference between a cancer and a normal cell could potentially be exploited as a therapeutic target. The hope is that drugs targeting specific constituents or pathways in cancer cells will provide more effective therapy, either alone or in combination with other currently used anticancer drugs. In addition to drug targets, identifying new target antigens remains as much of a challenge as improving tumor vaccines already in the clinic.

The modern drug developers? guide for making informed choices among the diverse target identification methods Target Discovery and Validation: Methods and Strategies for Drug Discovery offers a hands-on review of the modern technologies for drug target identification and validation. With contributions from noted industry and academic experts, the book addresses the most recent chemical, biological, and computational methods. Additionally, the book highlights techologies that are applicable to ?difficult? targets and drugs directed at multiple targets, including chemoproteomics, activity-based protein profiling, pathway mapping, genome-wide association studies, and array-based profiling. Throughout, the authors highlight a range of diverse approaches, and target validation studies reveal how these methods can support academic and drug discovery scientists in their target discovery and validation research. This resource: -Offers a guide to identifying and validating targets, a key enabling technology without which no new drug development is possible -Presents the information needed for choosing the appropriate assay method from the ever-growing range of available options -Provides practical examples from recent drug development projects, e. g. in kinase inhibitor profiling Written for medicinal chemists, pharmaceutical professionals, biochemists, biotechnology professionals, and pharmaceutical chemists, Target Discovery and Validation explores the current methods for the identification and validation of drug targets in one comrpehensive volume. It also includes numerous practical examples.

This work presents a comprehensive contemporary framework for approaching target validation in drug discovery. It begins with a detailed description of new enabling technologies, including aptamers, RNA interference, functional genomics, and proteomics. The next section looks at biologic drug development with in-depth discussion of lessons learned from such well-known cases as Erbitux, Herceptin, and Avastin. Additional targets known as "second generation" drugs, which can be identified when disease pathways are validated by biologics, present new possible small molecule therapeutics and serve as the focus of the final section of the book.

Improving and Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Nervous System Disorders is the summary of a workshop convened by the IOM Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders to examine opportunities to accelerate early phases of drug development for nervous system drug discovery. Workshop participants discussed challenges in neuroscience research for enabling faster entry of potential treatments into first-in-human trials, explored how new and emerging tools and technologies may improve the efficiency of research, and considered mechanisms to facilitate a more effective and efficient development pipeline. There are several challenges to the current drug development pipeline for nervous system disorders. The fundamental etiology and pathophysiology of many nervous system disorders are unknown and the brain is inaccessible to study, making it difficult to develop accurate models. Patient heterogeneity is high, disease pathology can occur years to decades before becoming clinically apparent, and diagnostic and treatment biomarkers are lacking. In addition, the lack of validated targets, limitations related to the predictive validity of animal models - the extent to which the model predicts clinical efficacy - and regulatory barriers can also impede translation and drug development for nervous system disorders. Improving and Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Nervous System Disorders identifies avenues for moving directly from cellular models to human trials, minimizing the need for animal models to test efficacy, and discusses the potential benefits and risks of such an approach. This report is a timely discussion of opportunities to improve early drug development with a focus toward preclinical trials.