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Utilizing Functional Genomics Screening to Identify Potentially Novel Drug Targets in Cancer Cell Spheroid Cultures
Published on: December 26, 2016
A novel functional approach toward identifying definitive drug targets
Ranadhir Dey1, Srijit Khan, Bhaskar Saha
1National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007, India.
Current Medicinal Chemistry
|September 28, 2007
Summary
Identifying new drug targets is challenging. This study proposes a functional approach by examining host-pathogen interactions to find novel therapeutic targets, aiming to overcome drug resistance.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Pharmacology
- Immunology
Background:
- Drug development has evolved from traditional herbal remedies to sophisticated scientific methods.
- Defining effective drug targets remains a significant challenge in modern drug discovery.
- Classical and high-throughput screening methods face limitations, including the emergence of drug resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a novel functional approach for identifying drug targets by studying host-pathogen interactions.
- To investigate alterations in host immune responses, gene expression, and cell signaling during infection.
- To identify pro-parasitic gene products and kinases as potential therapeutic targets.
Main Methods:
- Studying host-pathogen interactions to analyze immune response modifications.
- Profiling host gene expression and cell signaling molecule activation, particularly kinases.
- Demonstrating the efficacy of reversing identified gene expression and protein activation profiles.
Main Results:
- Host-pathogen interactions induce specific gene expression and protein activation patterns necessary for pathogen survival.
- Reversing these induced profiles effectively ameliorates infection.
- Identified pro-parasitic gene products and kinases are validated as potential drug targets.
Conclusions:
- A functional approach focusing on host-pathogen interactions offers a promising strategy for novel drug target identification.
- Targeting host factors manipulated by pathogens can overcome limitations of traditional drug discovery, including resistance.
- This approach facilitates the development of more effective therapeutics against infectious diseases.
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