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Biology-oriented synthesis: harnessing the power of evolution
Hilde van Hattum1, Herbert Waldmann
1Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology , Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|July 31, 2014
Summary
Scientists can discover novel bioactive small molecules by using biology-oriented synthesis. This approach leverages natural products and their evolutionary relationships to explore chemical space for chemical biology and drug discovery.
Area of Science:
- Chemical Biology
- Drug Discovery
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Small-molecule modulators are crucial for biological research, but the vast chemical space is synthetically inaccessible.
- Natural products, co-evolved with proteins, offer ideal starting points for exploring biologically relevant chemical space.
- Limitations in matter and synthesis time hinder comprehensive exploration of potential interfering molecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present "biology-oriented synthesis" as a strategy for discovering novel bioactive small molecules.
- To harness evolutionary principles for efficient exploration of chemical diversity.
- To guide the development of compound libraries for chemical biology and drug discovery.
Main Methods:
- Structurally classifying known natural products based on core scaffolds.
- Hierarchically arranging natural products into a "natural product tree".
- Annotating the natural product tree for bioactivity and enabling intuitive navigation.
Main Results:
- Development of a classification system for natural products.
- Creation of a navigable "natural product tree" for bioactivity exploration.
- Demonstration of biology-oriented synthesis as a principle for generating bioactive compound libraries.
Conclusions:
- Biology-oriented synthesis effectively utilizes evolutionary relationships to discover novel bioactive molecules.
- This approach accelerates the identification of chemical tools for chemical biology research.
- It provides a powerful strategy for drug discovery by focusing on biologically relevant scaffolds.
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