Phenotypic screening as a strategic component of drug discovery programs targeting novel antiparasitic and antimycobacterial agents: an editorial

Drug development for neglected tropical diseases, defined as a collection of infectious diseases affecting over 4 billion people worldwide (especially endemic to poverty-stricken populations in underdeveloped regions of Africa, Asia, the Pacific Rim, and Latin America), has been underfunded and stag...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medicinal chemistry 2013-10, Vol.56 (20), p.7715-7718
Main Author: Butera, John A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry
Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use
Antiparasitic Agents - chemistry
Antiparasitic Agents - therapeutic use
Chagas Disease - parasitology
Chagas Disease - prevention & control
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical - methods
Drug Discovery - methods
Humans
Malaria, Falciparum - parasitology
Malaria, Falciparum - prevention & control
Molecular Targeted Therapy - methods
Mycobacterium tuberculosis - drug effects
Mycobacterium tuberculosis - genetics
Mycobacterium tuberculosis - metabolism
Phenotype
Plasmodium falciparum - drug effects
Plasmodium falciparum - genetics
Plasmodium falciparum - metabolism
Tropical Medicine - methods
Trypanosoma cruzi - drug effects
Trypanosoma cruzi - genetics
Trypanosoma cruzi - metabolism
Tuberculosis - microbiology
Tuberculosis - prevention & control
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Summary:Drug development for neglected tropical diseases, defined as a collection of infectious diseases affecting over 4 billion people worldwide (especially endemic to poverty-stricken populations in underdeveloped regions of Africa, Asia, the Pacific Rim, and Latin America), has been underfunded and stagnant. A much needed resurgence of R&D activity in this area is currently developing. Target-directed screening and whole-cell phenotypic screening represent two complementary approaches to discover viable new starting point scaffolds for medicinal chemistry optimization. This editorial will provide introductory comments to a series of six miniperspectives that focus on the special challenges faced by scientists in discovering potential new chemical leads that could be optimized into promising clinical candidates for neglected tropical diseases.
ISSN:1520-4804
DOI:10.1021/jm400443k