Target Identification
From DrugPedia: A Wikipedia for Drug discovery
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Target Identification
Target identification is the phenomenon of identifying the molecule where a drug molecule can bind.eg. enzyme etc.Generallythe target molecule is can be two types.
- Established Target
- New Target
Established Target molecule are those for which there is good scientific understanding and have history of both how the target functions in normal physiology and how it is involved in human pathology. The more such information is available, the less investment is (generally) required to develop a therapeutic directed against the target.
New Target are all those targets that are not "established targets" but which have been or are the subject of drug discovery campaigns. These typically include newly discovered proteins, or proteins whose function has now become clear as a result of basic scientific research.
Disease Mechanism
The disease mechanism defines the possible cause or causes of a particular disorder, as well as the path or phenotype of the disease. Understanding the disease mechanism directs research and formulates a possible treatment to slow or reverse the disease process. It also predicts a change of the disease pattern and its implications. Study the disease mechanism is one of the way for identification of target molecule. Understanding the disease mechanism provide a possible way to slow or reverse the disease process.
Disease can be classified into many groups.
- Autoimmune Disease
- Genetic disease
- Infectious Disease
- Trauma and Acute disease
- Multicausal disease
Disease Genes
Identification of disease gene is another approach for target identification.Because a mutation in gene leads to change in structure and function of protein .Disease gene can be identified on the basis of hereditary patterns or comparing the disease gene sequence with normal gene sequence.So,identified the disease gene and it's involvement in pathway help in understanding of disease.
Target Type and ‘Drugability’
Targets for therapeutic intervention can be broadly classified into these categories:
- Receptors
- Proteins and enzymes
- DNA
- RNA and ribosomal targets
The "drugability" of a given target is defined either by how well a therapeutic, such as small molecule drugs or antibodies, can access the target, or by the efficacy a therapeutic can actually achieve.
Functional Genomics
Functional genomics can be broadly defined as the systematic analysis of gene activity in healthy versus diseased organisms/organs/tissues/cells.Functional genomics aims to determine disease mechanisms and to identify disease genes and disease markers. It also aims to guide the understanding of signal transduction pathways that either lead to disease or indicate therapeutic strategies for the development of novel therapeutics.