Tuesday 2 December 2014
The drug discovery is one of the major players involved in
the development of the field of Bioinformatics. Many pharmaceutical companies
have internal teams conducting Bioinformatics research. The pharmaceutical
industry plays a major role in the world economy. The main purpose is to
produce the next major drug. Most drugs are small molecules that are designed
to bind, interact, and modulate the activity of specific biological receptors.
Drug discovery - Historical perspective
Drug Discovery began as an extension of chemistry about a
century ago. In 1865, Kekule formulate the theory of aromatic organic
molecules. Paul Ehlrich applied the selective affinity of dyes for biological
tissues to postulate the existence of Chemoreceptors. This led to birth of
Chemotherapy - a kind of drug treatment. Pharmacology developed a s a separate
stream because of the efforts of Oswald Schmiedeberg at the university of
pharmacology between 1871 and 1918. Penicillin was discovered by Alexander
Fleming in 1929. The characterization of Carboanhydrase in 1933 was followed by
the discovery of Sulphanilamide.
Drug - Definition
A drug is a molecule that interacts with a target biological
molecule in the body and trough such interaction triggers a physiological
effect.
Chemical compound as Drug
A chemical compound to qualify as a drug should have the
following characteristics:
It should beSafeEffectiveStable (both chemically and
metabolically)Deliverable (should be absorbed and should reach the site of
action)Available (by isolation or by synthesis)Novel (patentable)Areas
influencing Drug DiscoveryThere are several approaches to discover new drugs.
They vary from Molecular biology to Combinatorial Chemistry.Some of the
approaches are as follows:-
Molecular biology has profound
influence in Drug Discovery. It applies the concept of genetic information to
biochemical and chemical pathways. The protein drugs such as Recombinant
proteins and Monoclonal antibodies are called as "Biotech Drugs."
Molecular biology can also help us to understand disease processes at molecular
or genetic level and to determine optimal molecular targets for drug
intervention.
High -Throughput Screening (HTS):
In this method of drug discovery, large numbers of
hypothetical targets are incorporated into in-vitro or cell based assays and
exposed to large number of compounds representing numerous variations on a few
chemical themes.
Pharmacogenetic Technology:
Pharmacogenetics is the study of hereditary basis for
differences in a population. Pharmacogenetics makes extensive use of automated
tools for protein and gene sequencing. The DNA sequences of human genome are
not identical and vary from individual to individual.Pharmacogenetics is hence
based on identification of genetic variations (polymorphisms) that alter drug
concentrations and responses.
Conclusion
The years of scientific study in the field of pharmacology,
molecular biology and biotechnology has led to the process of development of
new drugs.Suganya Raphael is an expertise in the field of life
science. she is also working in the area of Content development, Social media
marketing, blogging and article writing.She has completed her M.Phil in Biotechnology.She is also a wife and mother.
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