Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Pharmacophore Modeling for Targets with Extensive Ligand Libraries: A Case Study on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro
Published on: September 26, 2025
The IUPHAR/BPS Guide to PHARMACOLOGY: an expert-driven knowledgebase of drug targets and their ligands
Adam J Pawson1, Joanna L Sharman, Helen E Benson
1The University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK, School of Biomedical Sciences, Life Sciences E Floor, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK, Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science, School of Informatics, 10 Crichton Street, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK, Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Level 6, Centre for Clinical Investigation, Box 110, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK, School of Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK, Neuroscience Division, Medical Education Institute, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK and Spedding Research Solutions SARL, 6 Rue Ampere, Le Vésinet 78110, France.
Abstract:
The International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology/British Pharmacological Society (IUPHAR/BPS) Guide to PHARMACOLOGY (http://www.guidetopharmacology.org) is a new open access resource providing pharmacological, chemical, genetic, functional and pathophysiological data on the targets of approved and experimental drugs. Created under the auspices of the IUPHAR and the BPS, the portal provides concise, peer-reviewed overviews of the key properties of a wide range of established and potential drug targets, with in-depth information for a subset of important targets. The resource is the result of curation and integration of data from the IUPHAR Database (IUPHAR-DB) and the published BPS 'Guide to Receptors and Channels' (GRAC) compendium. The data are derived from a global network of expert contributors, and the information is extensively linked to relevant databases, including ChEMBL, DrugBank, Ensembl, PubChem, UniProt and PubMed. Each of the ∼6000 small molecule and peptide ligands is annotated with manually curated 2D chemical structures or amino acid sequences, nomenclature and database links. Future expansion of the resource will complete the coverage of all the targets of currently approved drugs and future candidate targets, alongside educational resources to guide scientists and students in pharmacological principles and techniques.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Targets for Drug Action: Overview
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...
Ligand Binding Sites
Protein-ligand interactions are quite specific; even though numerous potential ligands surround a cellular protein at any given time, only a particular ligand can bind to that protein. Moreover, a ligand binds only to a dedicated area on the surface of the protein, known as the...
Ligand Binding Sites
Drug Discovery: Overview
Pharmacodynamics: Overview and Principles
Most drugs' effects result from their interactions with drug receptors or targets within the body. These interactions trigger specific responses at the cellular or systemic level. Drug receptors can be found on the surfaces of cells or...
Pharmacodynamic Models: Overview

