Drug discovery
Drug discovery
Drug discovery is the process by which new candidate medications are discovered. This process involves the identification of candidates, synthesis, characterization, screening, and assays for therapeutic efficacy.
Pronunciation
/dʌg dɪˈskʌvəri/
Etymology
The term "drug discovery" is derived from the English words "drug", which is from Old French "drogue" (medicine), and "discovery", which is from the Old English "discoperian" (to find out).
Process
Drug discovery involves a complex and lengthy process that begins with the identification of a disease or condition for which there is a need for new treatments. This is followed by Target identification, where researchers identify a biochemical mechanism involved in the disease's progression. The next step is Target validation, which involves proving that this target is directly involved in the disease process. The Lead generation stage involves finding a molecule that can act on the identified target to alter the disease progression. Lead optimization is the next step, where the molecule is modified to improve its characteristics, such as efficacy, safety, and stability. The final step is Preclinical development, where the optimized molecule is tested in animal models of the disease to evaluate its safety and efficacy before it can proceed to clinical trials in humans.
Related terms
- Pharmacology: The study of drug action.
- Pharmacokinetics: The study of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted by the body.
- Pharmacodynamics: The study of the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action.
- Clinical trials: Research studies that explore whether a medical strategy, treatment, or device is safe and effective for humans.
- Biotechnology: The use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products.
- Bioinformatics: An interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Drug discovery
- Wikipedia's article - Drug discovery
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski