Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
05:10
Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
Published on: December 11, 2016
Repurposed drugs in metabolic disorders
Josef Finsterer1, Marlies Frank
1Postfach 20, 1180 Vienna, Austria. fifigs1@yahoo.de.
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
|September 25, 2013
Summary
Drug repurposing offers a cost-effective strategy for developing new treatments for metabolic disorders. This review classifies repurposed drugs into three groups, highlighting examples with potential for new indications.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology and Drug Development
- Metabolic Disorders Research
- Drug Repurposing Strategies
Background:
- Drug development is increasingly expensive, driving the need for cost-effective alternatives like drug repurposing.
- Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning or reprofiling, involves finding new therapeutic uses for existing drugs.
- Metabolic disorders represent a significant area where drug repurposing holds considerable potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and classify drugs repurposed for metabolic disorders.
- To highlight existing and potential drug candidates for metabolic disorder treatment through repurposing.
- To categorize repurposed drugs based on their original and new indications within metabolic and non-metabolic contexts.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and analysis of existing drug approvals and clinical trial data.
- Classification of repurposed drugs into three distinct groups based on indication type.
- Identification of specific drug examples within each category, including their original and repurposed uses.
Main Results:
- Repurposed drugs for metabolic disorders were categorized into three groups: A (metabolic to metabolic), B (non-metabolic to metabolic), and C (metabolic to non-metabolic).
- Examples provided include tetra-hydrobiopterin, coenzyme-Q, and colesevelam (Group A), and phenylbutyrate (Group C).
- Numerous compounds show promise in preclinical models, indicating a rich pipeline for future drug repurposing in metabolic disorders.
Conclusions:
- Drug repurposing is a vital strategy for addressing metabolic disorders, offering a more economical drug development pathway.
- The classification system provides a framework for understanding the landscape of repurposed drugs in metabolic medicine.
- Further research and clinical validation are essential to advance promising drug candidates from preclinical stages to approved therapies for metabolic conditions.
More Related Videos
12:40Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Hepatocyte-like Cells for Drug Discovery
Published on: May 19, 2018
11:44Cellular Membrane Affinity Chromatography Columns to Identify Specialized Plant Metabolites Interacting with Immobilized Tropomyosin Kinase Receptor B
Published on: January 19, 2022
Related Concept Videos
01:16Drug Biotransformation: Overview
Pharmaceutical substances known as xenobiotics are predominantly lipophilic and nonionized. This enables them to permeate lipid bilayers, such as cell membranes, and interact with intracellular target receptors. Lipophilic drugs have an advantage in crossing biological barriers and reaching their intended sites of action. However, lipophilic drugs often have a restricted capacity for renal expulsion or elimination from the body. When these drugs enter the kidneys and undergo glomerular...
01:28Drug Biotransformation: Overview
Biotransformation, also known as drug metabolism, is a vital physiological process that chemically alters drugs, facilitating their elimination from the body and terminating their action. This process involves two main phases: phase I and phase II reactions. Phase I reactions, including oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis, introduce or unmask polar functional groups on the drug molecule, thereby increasing its water solubility. By enhancing water solubility, the drug becomes more hydrophilic...
01:30Prodrugs
Prodrugs are a class of pharmaceutical compounds that undergo a biotransformation process within the body to be converted into a pharmacologically active drug. Prodrugs are designed to improve the therapeutic properties of the parent drug, such as enhancing bioavailability, increasing stability, or reducing toxicity. The concept of prodrugs revolves around modifying the chemical structure of the original drug to make it more effective or convenient for administration.
Prodrugs help overcome...
Prodrugs help overcome...
01:27Pharmacogenetics of Drug Metabolism: Overview
Genetic polymorphism in drug metabolism is crucial to the inter-individual variability observed in drug responses. Drug metabolism primarily involves the chemical modification of drugs and other xenobiotics to enhance their elimination by increasing their polarity. Two main classes of enzymes mediate this biotransformation process: Phase I enzymes, primarily cytochrome P450s, catalyze oxidation and reduction reactions, while other enzymes, such as esterases, mediate hydrolysis, and Phase II...
01:24Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses a challenge in...
01:29Pharmacogenomics: 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...