The path to oncology drug target validation: an industry perspective

The advent of a variety of genomic, proteomic and other system-based scientific approaches has raised the expectations of identifying novel targets for oncology drug discovery. However, the complexity of human genome cancer alterations requires a careful analysis of the function of candidate targets identified by these efforts. The postulation and testing of a hypothesis that modulation of a protein or pathway will result in a therapeutic effect in a preclinical setting is crucial for target validation activities. In this chapter, we provide an overview on target identification and validation approaches to interrogate the functional and therapeutic relevance of a candidate cancer drug target as an essential step towards justifying the subsequent investment in drug discovery efforts.