Introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical development

Over 90% of marketed drugs are small molecules, low molecular weight organic compounds that have been discovered, designed, and developed to prompt a specific biological process in the body. Examples include antibiotics (penicillin), analgesics (paracetamol) and synthetic hormones (corticosteroids)....

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Main Authors: Michelle W. Y. Southey, Michael Brunavs
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Drug Discovery
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fddsv.2023.1314077/full
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author Michelle W. Y. Southey
Michael Brunavs
author_facet Michelle W. Y. Southey
Michael Brunavs
author_sort Michelle W. Y. Southey
collection DOAJ
description Over 90% of marketed drugs are small molecules, low molecular weight organic compounds that have been discovered, designed, and developed to prompt a specific biological process in the body. Examples include antibiotics (penicillin), analgesics (paracetamol) and synthetic hormones (corticosteroids). On average, it takes 10–15 years to develop a new medicine from initial discovery through to regulatory approval and the total cost is often in the billions. For every drug that makes it to the market, there are many more that do not, and it is the outlay associated with abortive efforts that accounts for most of this expense. The discovery of new drugs remains a significant challenge, involving teams of researchers from chemistry, biology, drug development, computer science and informatics. In this article we will discuss the key concepts and issues encountered in small molecule preclinical drug discovery and introduce some of the emerging technologies being developed to overcome current obstacles.
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spelling doaj.art-f31fa8230d5c439ca618a62ea33972932023-12-01T09:36:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Drug Discovery2674-03382023-11-01310.3389/fddsv.2023.13140771314077Introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical developmentMichelle W. Y. SoutheyMichael BrunavsOver 90% of marketed drugs are small molecules, low molecular weight organic compounds that have been discovered, designed, and developed to prompt a specific biological process in the body. Examples include antibiotics (penicillin), analgesics (paracetamol) and synthetic hormones (corticosteroids). On average, it takes 10–15 years to develop a new medicine from initial discovery through to regulatory approval and the total cost is often in the billions. For every drug that makes it to the market, there are many more that do not, and it is the outlay associated with abortive efforts that accounts for most of this expense. The discovery of new drugs remains a significant challenge, involving teams of researchers from chemistry, biology, drug development, computer science and informatics. In this article we will discuss the key concepts and issues encountered in small molecule preclinical drug discovery and introduce some of the emerging technologies being developed to overcome current obstacles.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fddsv.2023.1314077/fulldrug discoverysmall moleculescompound screeningartificial intelligencemultimodalities
spellingShingle Michelle W. Y. Southey
Michael Brunavs
Introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical development
Frontiers in Drug Discovery
drug discovery
small molecules
compound screening
artificial intelligence
multimodalities
title Introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical development
title_full Introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical development
title_fullStr Introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical development
title_full_unstemmed Introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical development
title_short Introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical development
title_sort introduction to small molecule drug discovery and preclinical development
topic drug discovery
small molecules
compound screening
artificial intelligence
multimodalities
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fddsv.2023.1314077/full
work_keys_str_mv AT michellewysouthey introductiontosmallmoleculedrugdiscoveryandpreclinicaldevelopment
AT michaelbrunavs introductiontosmallmoleculedrugdiscoveryandpreclinicaldevelopment