Protein models in drug discovery

Over the last few years, the utilization of protein structural information in drug discovery research has matured and is today applied throughout the process, ranging from genomics-derived target identification and selection to the final design of suitable drug candidates. An especially powerful methodology has arisen from the clear synergies of the combination of target structural information with combinatorial chemistry. Several structural genomics initiatives have recently been started and are now generating 3-D structures of target molecules at an unprecedented rate that will provide a wealth of novel information that can be utilized for rational drug design.