Drug discovery and development is a complex and dynamic process that involves the identification, design, synthesis, testing, and optimization of new medications. It is a critical endeavor in the pharmaceutical industry, aimed at discovering innovative therapies to treat a wide range of diseases and improving global health outcomes.
The drug discovery phase begins with target identification and validation, where researchers identify specific molecular targets that play a key role in the disease process. This step often involves a combination of biological, biochemical, and computational approaches. Once a target is identified, medicinal chemists design and synthesize small molecules or biologics that can interact with the target and modulate its activity.
The next step in the drug discovery process is preclinical testing, where the potential drug candidate undergoes rigorous testing in laboratory models, such as cell cultures and animal models, to assess its safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic properties. Preclinical studies help researchers understand the drug's mechanism of action, its absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties, as well as potential toxicities.