Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Target validation.

Michael Williams¹

¹Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. mazarine1643@aol.com

Current Opinion in Pharmacology

|October 16, 2003

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Reining in Unbridled AI Enthusiasm: Protecting the Integrity of Rehabilitation Science and Clinical Care.

Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation·2026

Same author

Through their eyes': A qualitative study on the impact of virtual reality on parents' understanding of visual impairment.

Eye (London, England)·2026

Same author

Evaluating the Use of Google Street View to Visually Verify the Locations of Cannabis Retailers in the United States Extracted from Websites, 2015-2018.

Applied spatial analysis and policy·2026

Same author

Kinetics of De Novo Bone and Bone Marrow Niche Formation With Hybrid Click Cryogels.

Advanced healthcare materials·2026

Same author

Serial measurement of circulating cardiovascular-enriched microRNAs in patients with ischaemic heart disease - a five-year longitudinal study.

Bioscience reports·2025

Same author

Tech in education: driving force, or distraction?

Eye (London, England)·2025

Same journal

Targeting the ischemic cascade: Review on approved and investigational stroke therapies.

Current opinion in pharmacology·2026

Same journal

Senotherapeutic strategies for ovarian aging: Mechanistic insights and translational perspectives.

Current opinion in pharmacology·2026

Same journal

Chrono-immunotherapy in precision oncology: Circadian control of the tumor microenvironment and time-of-day optimization of immune checkpoint blockade.

Current opinion in pharmacology·2026

Same journal

Methotrexate: Integrating molecular pharmacology, systems toxicology, and precision rescue strategies.

Current opinion in pharmacology·2026

Same journal

Acupuncture and non-invasive neuromodulation-induced neuro-endocrine-immune changes associated with the amelioration of depression-like behaviors: A systematic review of animal studies.

Current opinion in pharmacology·2026

Same journal

Alopecia areata: Mechanisms, targeted therapies, and translational challenges.

Current opinion in pharmacology·2026

See all related articles

Identifying novel disease targets is advancing, but validating these molecular targets for drug discovery requires more robust methods. Clinical efficacy remains the ultimate measure of successful target validation.

Area of Science:

Genomics and Proteomics
Drug Discovery and Development

Background:

The Human Genome Project has spurred anticipation for identifying new disease-specific molecular targets.
Current methods for gene identification (genotyping, microarrays) are advancing rapidly.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the current state and challenges of validating molecular targets for drug discovery.
To highlight the gap between target identification capabilities and validation realities.

Main Methods:

Review of current practices in target identification and validation.
Discussion of proteomic techniques and their role in target validation (targetomics).
Emphasis on the need for integrated pharmacological approaches and clinical validation.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

Target validation using proteomic techniques is in its early stages, with capabilities lagging behind expectations.
Established criteria for target validation are lacking, and timelines for success are underestimated.
Traditional pharmacological approaches are often overlooked in the pursuit of novel targets.

Conclusions:

The transition from target identification to validation is a critical bottleneck in drug discovery.
Clinical efficacy of a drug targeting the validated molecule is the definitive measure of success.
Future drug discovery efforts must integrate rigorous validation strategies to meet clinical needs.