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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

A Semi-Quantitative Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability (DARTS) assay for studying Rapamycin/mTOR interaction

A Semi-Quantitative Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability (DARTS) assay for studying Rapamycin/mTOR interaction

Published on: August 27, 2019

What makes a good drug target?

Isabella Gashaw¹, Peter Ellinghaus, Anette Sommer

¹Global Drug Discovery - Target Discovery, Bayer HealthCare, Muellerstrasse 178, 13342 Berlin, Germany. isabella.gashaw@bayer.com

Drug Discovery Today

|December 14, 2011

Summary

Identifying effective drug targets is crucial for developing novel therapeutics, especially for unmet medical needs. This article outlines key properties of a good drug target from a pharmaceutical company

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Published on: December 1, 2020

Area of Science:

Drug discovery and development
Pharmaceutical sciences
Molecular pharmacology

Background:

Novel therapeutics are essential for addressing areas with high unmet medical needs.
While biologicals have expanded druggable molecules, suitable drug targets remain limited.
Current target assessment involves experimental, mechanistic, and pharmacological studies.

Purpose of the Study:

To define the key properties of an ideal drug target.
To provide a pharmaceutical company's perspective on drug target selection.
To emphasize the importance of early theoretical molecular druggability assessment.

Main Methods:

Review of current practices in drug target identification and assessment.
Analysis of factors influencing drug target selection in pharmaceutical companies.
Discussion of theoretical molecular druggability assessment and its role.

Main Results:

Drug target assessment requires more than just experimental validation.
Early evaluation of potential side effects and commercialization opportunities is critical.
A comprehensive approach is needed to identify and assess drug targets effectively.

Conclusions:

Defining a good drug target involves a multifaceted evaluation.
Pharmaceutical companies prioritize targets with a strong theoretical and commercial outlook.
Integrating early-stage assessments can improve the success rate of novel therapeutics.