Target Safety Assessment: Strategies and Resources

Area of Science:

• Drug Discovery and Development
• Toxicology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Target safety evaluation is essential for identifying potential unintended adverse consequences of modulating biological targets.
• This process aids in developing risk management strategies for drug candidates.
• Early assessment of safety liabilities is critical for informed decision-making in drug development programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the importance of target safety evaluation in drug discovery.
• To describe the goals of target safety assessment, including risk identification and mitigation.
• To emphasize the role of toxicologists in developing safety evaluation strategies.

Main Methods:

• Investigating various information types and sources relevant to target safety.
• Employing approaches to generate early assessments of potential safety liabilities.
• Synthesizing available data into actionable recommendations for safety evaluation.

Main Results:

• Provides a framework for understanding and conducting target safety evaluations.
• Highlights the critical role of discovery toxicologists in the process.
• Offers insights into managing on-target toxicities and clinical adverse events.

Conclusions:

• Comprehensive target safety evaluation is indispensable for successful drug discovery and development.
• An experienced toxicologist's input is vital for effective safety strategy development.
• Early identification and management of safety liabilities accelerate program advancement.