Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Drug Discovery: Overview01:26

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...
Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design01:28

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...
Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets01:29

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...
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
Targets for Drug Action: Overview01:26

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...
Principles of Drug Action01:24

Principles of Drug Action

Drugs are chemical substances that modify biological responses by interacting with macromolecular targets such as receptors, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes. Pharmacodynamics describes the course of action of drugs leading to the physiological effect at a specific site in the body.
Drugs can be agonists or antagonists. Like the endogenous ligands, agonists always bind and activate the target to produce a cellular response. Agonist binding induces a conformational change which in turn...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Beyond Black-Box Models: A Physics-Driven Computational Paradigm for Low-Temperature Flexible Organic Crystals.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2026
Same author

The Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Spray Followed by Nitrous Oxide for Paediatric Oral Procedures.

International dental journal·2026
Same author

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Glabridin.

The Journal of organic chemistry·2026
Same author

A manually curated pig gut microbiome dataset for precision feeding.

Scientific data·2026
Same author

High-Intensity Alternating Current Stimulation as an Add-On to Multidisciplinary Intensive Rehabilitation for Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

CNS neuroscience & therapeutics·2026
Same author

Synthesis, biological evaluation, and mechanism investigation of multisubstituted quinazoline analogues as prospective inhibitors of KRAS G12D.

Bioorganic chemistry·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
05:10

Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System

Published on: December 11, 2016

Evolutionary inspirations for drug discovery.

Hong-Yu Zhang1, Ling-Ling Chen, Xue-Juan Li

  • 1National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China. zhy630@mail.hzau.edu.cn

Trends in Pharmacological Sciences
|August 21, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Evolutionary concepts can improve drug discovery and explain the antioxidant paradox. Polyphenols, particularly flavonoids, evolved for protein binding, not radical scavenging, suggesting new multi-target drug strategies.

More Related Videos

Incorporating Target Protein Structure Flexibility and Dynamics in Computational Drug Discovery Using Ensemble-Based Docking Analysis
08:49

Incorporating Target Protein Structure Flexibility and Dynamics in Computational Drug Discovery Using Ensemble-Based Docking Analysis

Published on: June 20, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
05:10

Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System

Published on: December 11, 2016

Incorporating Target Protein Structure Flexibility and Dynamics in Computational Drug Discovery Using Ensemble-Based Docking Analysis
08:49

Incorporating Target Protein Structure Flexibility and Dynamics in Computational Drug Discovery Using Ensemble-Based Docking Analysis

Published on: June 20, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Pharmacology
  • Drug discovery

Background:

  • The pharmaceutical industry faces a 'more investments, fewer drugs' challenge.
  • Evolutionary theory has been central to biology since Darwin's The Origin of Species.

Observation:

  • Polyphenols, including flavonoids, are widely investigated for antioxidant properties in drug discovery.
  • In vitro antioxidant activities of polyphenols often fail to translate to in vivo efficacy.

Findings:

  • Evolutionary concepts can streamline drug discovery by aiding target and drug candidate identification.
  • Polyphenols evolved for protein binding capabilities, not primarily for free radical scavenging.
  • This explains the discrepancy between in vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo effects of polyphenols.

Implications:

  • An evolutionary approach offers solutions to the antioxidant paradox in drug development.
  • Polyphenols' protein-binding abilities make them promising starting points for multi-target drugs.
  • This paradigm shift can enhance the efficiency and success rate of the drug discovery pipeline.