THE CONCISE GUIDE TO PHARMACOLOGY 2017/18: Overview.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Drug Discovery
• Biomedical Sciences

Background:

• The Concise Guide to Pharmacology is a biennial publication series.
• Previous versions were published in 2015/16 and 2013/14.
• This guide is produced in conjunction with the Nomenclature Committee of the Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide concise overviews of nearly 1800 human drug targets.
• To emphasize selective pharmacology where available.
• To link to an open-access knowledgebase for detailed drug target and ligand properties.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of data on human drug targets.
• Focus on G protein-coupled receptors, ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes, and transporters.
• Inclusion of nomenclature guidance, pharmacological tools, references, and further reading suggestions.

Main Results:

• Overview of approximately 1800 human drug targets.
• Emphasis on selective pharmacology and links to the www.guidetopharmacology.org knowledgebase.
• Provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record of drug target information.

Conclusions:

• The 2017/18 Concise Guide offers a valuable, up-to-date resource for pharmacologists and researchers.
• It serves as a permanent record, supplementing the dynamic online knowledgebase.
• It provides official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets.