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

Related Concept Videos

Drug Discovery: Overview

Drug Discovery: Overview

Drug discovery is a multifaceted process involving extensive screening, testing, and optimization of lead compounds to identify potential new drugs for therapeutic use. It combines several approaches, including screening large numbers of natural products, chemical modification of known active molecules, identification of new drug targets, and rational design based on biological mechanisms and drug-receptor structure. These approaches are carried out in both academic research laboratories and...

Anthelminthic Agents

Anthelminthic Agents

Anthelmintic drugs differ significantly from antiparasitic therapies targeting protozoa, primarily due to differences in parasite biology. Whereas most protozoal treatments act on proliferating cells, anthelmintics are typically directed against mature, nonproliferative helminths. The therapeutic approach considers the helminth's reliance on neuromuscular coordination, glucose metabolism, and microtubular integrity for survival, reproduction, and localization within the host. Most anthelmintics...

Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design

Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design

Drug design is a dynamic field that involves discovering and developing new medications based on specific biological targets. This process heavily relies on structure-activity relationships (SAR) and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) to guide the design and optimization of efficient drugs.
SAR studies the intricate relationship between a drug's chemical structure and biological activity. It focuses on understanding how modifications to a drug's structure can influence its...

Antiprotozoal Agents

Antiprotozoal Agents

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...

Targets for Drug Action: Overview

Targets for Drug Action: Overview

Drugs target macromolecules to modify ongoing cellular processes. Primary drug targets include receptors, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes.
Receptors are either membrane-spanning or intracellular proteins, which upon binding a ligand, get activated and transmit the signal downstream to elicit a response. Drugs bind receptors, either mimicking the action of endogenous ligands or blocking the receptor activity to bring about a modified response. Nearly 35% of approved drugs target the G...

Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets

Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets

Advances in genomics have profoundly influenced drug discovery by increasing both the speed and accuracy of pharmaceutical development. Pharmacogenomics, which examines how genetic variation influences drug response, facilitates the identification of novel therapeutic targets and enables patient stratification for personalized treatment. These strategies contribute to improved drug efficacy, minimized adverse effects, and more efficient clinical trial design.Mapping genetic differences...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Collateral hypersensitivity between ZY19489 and piperaquine neutralizes PfCRT-mediated drug efflux and Plasmodium falciparum resistance.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Fragment-based discovery and optimization of Zika virus NS3 helicase ligands as antiviral hit candidates.

European journal of medicinal chemistry·2025

Same author

Cu(I)-N-Heterocyclic carbenes as potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 replication.

Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine·2025

Same author

Combined crystallographic fragment screening and deep mutational scanning enable discovery of Zika virus NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitors.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Screening of Medicines for Malaria Venture Open Boxes Identifies Potent SARS-CoV‑2 Papain-like Protease (PL<sup>pro</sup>) Inhibitors.

ACS omega·2025

Same author

Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Bio-Guided Isolation of Secondary Metabolites With Antiplasmodial Activity From Dalbergia miscolobium Bark.

Chemistry & biodiversity·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Published on: May 9, 2025

Structure-based drug discovery for tropical diseases.

Rafael V C Guido¹, Glaucius Oliva

¹Laboratório de Química Medicinal e Computacional, Centro de Biotecnologia Molecular Estrutural, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, 13560-70, São Carlos -SP, Brazil.

Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry

|September 17, 2009

Summary

Structure-based drug design offers a rational approach to developing new medicines for parasitic diseases. This strategy aids in identifying novel drug targets and compounds to combat infections where current treatments are insufficient.

More Related Videos

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds

Published on: July 11, 2025

Assays for the Identification of Novel Antivirals against Bluetongue Virus

Assays for the Identification of Novel Antivirals against Bluetongue Virus

Published on: October 11, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Published on: May 9, 2025

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds

Published on: July 11, 2025

Assays for the Identification of Novel Antivirals against Bluetongue Virus

Assays for the Identification of Novel Antivirals against Bluetongue Virus

Published on: October 11, 2013

Area of Science:

* Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery
* Parasitology and Tropical Diseases

Background:

* Parasitic diseases pose significant global health challenges, particularly in tropical regions, causing widespread morbidity and mortality.
* Existing antiparasitic drugs are often limited by efficacy, long treatment durations, and resistance.
* There is a critical need for novel therapeutic agents to address these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

* To review the advancements and applications of structure-based drug design (SBDD) in discovering new chemotherapy agents for parasitic diseases.
* To highlight the potential of SBDD in identifying novel macromolecular targets and small-molecule modulators.
* To discuss the challenges, limitations, and future directions in applying SBDD for tropical disease drug development.

Main Methods:

* Review of current literature on structure-based drug design strategies applied to parasitic diseases.
* Analysis of progresses in genomics, proteomics, and understanding protein-ligand interactions.
* Examination of the use of compound libraries in identifying drug leads.

Main Results:

* Genomic and proteomic advances enable more rational drug discovery approaches.
* Understanding protein-ligand interactions facilitates the identification of promising drug candidates.
* SBDD has shown success in generating high-quality lead compounds for tropical diseases.

Conclusions:

* Structure-based drug design is a powerful strategy for developing innovative chemotherapy agents against parasitic infections.
* Continued research in medicinal chemistry and SBDD is crucial for overcoming drug limitations in tropical diseases.
* Future perspectives involve addressing challenges and optimizing SBDD applications for effective parasitic disease treatment.