Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026

Nano-Differential Scanning Fluorimetry for Screening in Fragment-based Lead Discovery
Published on: May 16, 2021
Disciplined approach to drug discovery and early development
1Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Abstract:
Our modern health care system demands therapeutic interventions that improve the lives of patients. Unfortunately, decreased productivity in therapeutics research and development (R&D) has driven drug costs up while delivering insufficient value to patients. Here, I discuss a model of translational medicine that connects four components of the early R&D pipeline-causal human biology, therapeutic modality, biomarkers of target modulation, and proof-of-concept clinical trials. Whereas the individual components of this model are not new, technological advances and a disciplined approach to integrating all four areas offer hope for improving R&D productivity.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Discovery: Overview
Preclinical Development: Overview
Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design
SAR studies the intricate relationship between a drug's chemical structure and biological activity. It focuses on understanding how modifications to a drug's structure can influence...
Drug Administration and Therapy Phases: Overview
The pharmaceutical phase focuses on leveraging the physicochemical properties of the drug to design and manufacture an effective product. Variants include orally administered tablets or capsules, topical creams or ointments, and parenteral-delivery solutions or emulsions.
The pharmacokinetic phase...
Drug Regulation
Clinical Trials: Overview

