Drug Discovery – Module 6, Session 1
OUTLINE
    General Introduction
o   Definition of Drug Targets
o   Generating Diversity for screening
o   Definition of Lead Structures
o   Qualifying Lead for Transition to early Trials
                                    Drug Discovery: A Succession of Styles
    Antiquity to 1960s                                  Mixture of natural products vs. bioassay
    1930s to present                                    Pure compounds vs. bioassays
    1960s to present                                    Pure compounds vs. pure enzymes
    1980s to present                                    Combinational methods to bring mixtures of
                                                        compounds
    Why compounds fail or slowdown in development?
 Toxicity, 22%
- Ambiguity in toxicology studies
 Lack of efficacy, 31%
- Low potency/ selectivity
 Market reasons, 6%
  -Synthetic complexity
  -Time-sensitivity of indication
  -Competing products
 Poor biopharmaceutical properties, 41%
    Two contrasting Drug Discovery “Philosophies”
   “EMPIRICAL” Recognize initial drug lead by functionally useful effect E.g. penicillin (anti-bacterial
    effect)
   “RATIONAL” Recognize drug by design or screen against drug target’s function E.g. HIV-protease
    inhibitor (anti-infection), metoprolol (anti-hypertensive)
    Generating Diversity for screening
    Source of diversity
   “Natural Products” – entities derived from plants, animals, bacteria, etc. may have
    “ethnopharmacognosy” to suggest use.
    -“pure compound” collections
    -extracts: aqueous/organic
    -genetically altered producer organisms
   Target non-selected chemical compound libraries
    -peptide/protein
    -non-peptide
   Target-directed chemical compound libraries
    -“classical” medicinal chemistry/ bona fide cystal structure- derived
    -“docked” lead structures into model
ONCE YOU HAVE A TARGET AND CADIDATE DRUG MOLECULES: HOW TO DESIGN A
DRUG SCREEN?
• Biochemical "Pure target" Screen (binding, functional):
Advantage: "Pure" Structural / Functional Outcomes
Disadvantage: Out of cellular / biochemical context
• Cell-Based
Advantage: Readout in a "living" system;
Disadvantage: Must deconvolute mechanism
STEPS IN CANCER DRUG DISCOVERY & DEVELOPMENT
• Define drug target or define an "active" drug
• Optimize evidence of activity in animal models of cancer (dose / schedule)
    • Relate activity (or lack thereof) in animal models to concentrations and durations of drug exposure
    • Define in animals a safe starting dose for human clinical trials
• This information assembled into an "investigational new drug" ("IND") application to the FDA
FDA PRECLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
• DRUGS – Two Species - Rodent & Non-rodent – Clinical Route & Schedule
 -- Follow NCI Guidelines – Pharmacokinetics - Optional
    • BIOLOGICALS – Most Relevant Species – Clinical Route & Schedule
PRECLINICAL DRUG STUDIES: SUMMARY
• Aid and promote clinical trials design
• Assure likely safety of initially explored regimen
• Provide scientific basis for assessing clinical effects of agent
• Increasingly to focus on correlating molecular effects of agents on intended targets along with “usual”
pharmacologic / toxicologic endpoints.