绿色荧光蛋白在药学研究中的应用

绿色荧光蛋白（green fluosecent protein，GFP）是一种由238个氨基酸残基组成的单体蛋白，相对分子质量（Mr）为2．7×10^4，最早在海洋腔肠动物水母（aequorea victoria）中发现，又称水母发光蛋白（aeguorin），后在各种异源细胞如细菌、昆虫、植物和哺乳动物细胞中进行表达和修饰。GFP作为一种新型的报告分子在生物界引起了广泛的关注，有关GFP的基本结构组成、发色团、发光机制及其基因变异等均有大量的研究报道，     

绿色荧光蛋白在药学研究中的应用进展

来自水母的绿色荧光蛋白（green fluorescent protein，GFP）具有很多理想的特性，被喻为活分子探针。GFP适用于作普遍的报告标记，尤其适用于活体细胞或组织，已被广泛应用于动物学、植物学、微生物学等领域的研究。本文对GFP在药学研究中的应用做一综述。     

极化荧光在高通量药物筛选中的应用

1　前言基于荧光技术的检测分析方法是近年来被应用于药物高通量筛选 (high throughputscreening,HTS)的重要方法之一,荧光检测方法具有灵敏度高、方法简便的优点,目前应用于HTS的荧光技术包括均相时间分辨荧光分析法 (homogeneoustimeresolvedfluorescence,HTRF),荧光共振能量     

高通量荧光筛选技术在药物相互作用研究中的应用

高通量筛选(high throughout screening，HTS)技术是在长期药物研究经验的积累和科学技术的进步，如分子生物学、分子病理学、分子药理学、微电子技术等学科发展的基础上，形成的药物发现过程的新方法。采用HTS技术评价化合物的生物活性涉及到多个方面的内容，如药理活性、药代动力学性     

药物代谢动力学在药物研究中的应用与进展(上)

药物代谢动力学(pharmacokinetics,PK)是定量研究药物在生物体内吸收、分布、代谢和排泄(ADME)随时间变化的过程及规律的一门学科。理想的药物要有优良而持久的药效和较低的毒副作     

系统动力学思维在药物发现过程中的应用

在药物发现过程中,我们需要能够显示技术与关键管理决策之间联系的系统动力学结构。药物发现过程包括很多相互作用的反馈环路,这些环路不仅影响着早期阶段执行的决策,还影响着后期研发阶段的生产能力。药物发现过程的复杂性和系统预见性的缺乏导致决策者不完善的思维模式,并限制了决策者制定真正改进研发过程决策的能力。因此,基于技术和基于知识的新整合方法的出现和利用,使药物研发过程更多地关注早期损耗率、高内涵先导化合物价值的验证,以及新药研发早期阶段时间的缩短。     

走在药物发现前沿的高内涵药物筛选

高内涵药物筛选已经成为药物发现领域的一个重要部分，在生物医药领域里的重要性日益突显，其广泛应用必然会为药物发现带来新的希望与突破。高内涵药物筛选方法具有许多独特的优势，它使得药物筛选更趋生物化。本文介绍了高内涵药物筛选的发展过程，及其当前和潜在的应用领域，探讨了高内涵药物筛选与其他研发技术手段之间的关系，并就其在新药发现中的作用和前景进行了阐述。     

人工智能在新药发现中的应用进展

人工智能在新药研发领域中发挥着至关重要的作用。目前,自然语言处理、机器学习、深度学习、知识图谱等人工智能关键技术已广泛应用于新药研发的各个环节,全球多家人工智能企业与制药企业也开启了深度合作模式,为生物医药的发展带来了新的机遇。介绍了机器学习方法和深度学习方法在新药发现领域的应用进展及相关企业,并总结了人工智能应用于新药发现的机遇与挑战,旨在为从事人工智能+新药研发工作的科研技术人员提供思路与参考。     

新药发现与高通量药物筛选

为了发现更为有效的药物 ,医药学科技工作者进行了长期艰苦的努力 ,积累了丰富的经验 ,创造了大量新的发现新药的方法 ,特别是随着科学技术的不断进步 ,技术手段也不断改进 ,新方法、新技术不断出现。本文根据药物发现的基本规律 ,介绍新药发现的过程及高通量药物筛选 (ＨＴＳ)的基本原理和方法。1　药物研究的基本过程。根据药物研究中采用的方法和技术特点 ,药物研究的全过程大概可以分为三个主要阶段 :药物发现 ;药物的临床前研究 ;药物的临床研究。只有完成临床研究并通过国家新药审批的药物才能正式用于临床。1.1　药物的发现　药物的…     

现代荧光光谱法在药物与蛋白相互作用研究中的应用

药物与蛋白相互作用是生命科学研究的重要领域,而荧光法是研究药物与蛋白相瓦作用的重要方法.文中综述了药物与蛋白相瓦作用的荧光猝灭法、荧光敏化法、同步荧光光谱、荧光偏振法、三维荧光光谱和时间分辨荧光法等.     

An overview of Ca2+ mobilization assays in GPCR drug discovery

Introduction: Calcium ions (Ca²⁺) serve as a second messenger or universal signal transducer implicated in the regulation of a wide range of physiological processes. A change in the concentration of intracellular Ca²⁺ is an important step in intracellular signal transduction. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest and most versatile group of cell surface receptors, transduce extracellular signals into intracellular responses via their coupling to heterotrimeric G proteins. Since Ca²⁺ plays a crucial role in GPCR-induced signaling, measurement of intracellular Ca²⁺ has attracted more and more attention in GPCR-targeted drug discovery.

Areas covered: This review focuses on the most popular functional assays measuring GPCRs-induced intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling. These include photoprotein-based, synthetic fluorescent indicator-based and genetically encoded calcium indicator (GECI)-based Ca²⁺ mobilization assays. A brief discussion of the design strategy of fluorescent probes in GPCR studies is also presented.

Expert opinion: GPCR-mediated intracellular signaling is multidimensional. There is an urgent need for the development of multiple-readout screening assays capable of simultaneous detection of biased signaling and screening of both agonists and antagonists in the same assay. It is also necessary to develop GECIs offering low cost and consistent assays suitable for investigating GPCR activation in vivo.     

Orthotopic mouse models expressing fluorescent proteins for cancer drug discovery

Importance of the field: Currently used rodent tumor models, including transgenic tumor models, or subcutaneously growing human tumors in immunodeficient mice, do not sufficiently represent clinical cancer, especially with regard to metastasis and drug sensitivity.

Areas covered in this review: To obtain clinically accurate models, we have developed the technique of surgical orthotopic implantation (SOI) to transplant histologically intact fragments of human cancer, including tumors taken directly from the patient, to the corresponding organ of immunodeficient rodents. SOI allows the growth and metastatic potential of the transplanted tumors to be expressed and reflects clinical cancer of all types. Effective drugs can be discovered and evaluated in the SOI models utilizing human tumor cell lines and patient tumors. Visualization of many aspects of cancer initiation and progression in vivo has been achieved with fluorescent proteins. Tumors and metastases in the SOI models that express fluorescent proteins can be visualized noninvasively in intact animals, greatly facilitating drug discovery.

What the reader will gain: This review will provide information on the imageable mouse models of cancer that are clinically relevant, especially regarding metastasis and their use for drug discovery and evaluation.

Take home message: SOI mouse models of cancer reproduce the features of clinical cancer.     

The future of quantum dots in drug discovery

The rapid development of drug discovery today is inseparable from the interaction of advanced particle technologies and new drug synthesis protocols. Quantum dots (QDs) are regarded as a unique class of fluorescent labels, with unique optical properties such as high brightness and long-term colloidal and optical stability; these are suitable for optical imaging, drug delivery and optical tracking, fluorescence immunoassay and other medicinal applications. More importantly, QD possesses a rich surface chemistry property that is useful for incorporating various drug molecules, targeting ligands, and additional contrast agents (e.g., MRI, PET, etc.) onto the nanoparticle surface for achieving targeted and traceable drug delivery therapy at both cellular and systemic levels. In recent times, the advancement of QD technology has promoted the use of functionalized nanocrystals for in vivo applications. Such research is paving the way for drug discovery using various bioconjugated QD formulations. In this editorial, the authors highlight the current research progress and future applications of QDs in drug discovery.     

High-throughput and in silico screenings in drug discovery

Background: In the current situation of weak drug pipelines, impending patent expiration of several blockbuster drugs, industry consolidation and changing business models that target special diseases like cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and obesity, the pharmaceutical industry is under intense pressure to generate a strong drug pipeline distinguished by better productivity, diversity and cost effectiveness. The goal is discovering high-quality leads in the initial stages of the development cycle, to minimize the costs associated with failures at later ones. Objective: Thus, there is a great amount of interest in further developing and optimizing high-throughput screening and in silico screening, the two methods responsible for generating most of the lead compounds. Although high-throughput screening is the predominant starting point for discovery programs, in silico methods have gradually made inroads by their more rational approach, to expedite the drug discovery and development process. Conclusion: Modern drug discovery strategies include both methods in tandem or in an iterative way. This review primarily provides a succinct overview and comparison of experimental and in silico screening techniques, selected case studies where both methods were used in concert to investigate their performance and complementary nature and a statement on the developments in experimental and in silico approaches in the near future.     

Improving attrition rates in Ebola virus drug discovery

Introduction: The Ebola 2014/2015 outbreak has had devastating effects on the people living in West Africa. The spread of the disease in endemic countries and the potential introduction of sporadic cases in other continents points out the global health threat of Ebola virus disease (EVD). Despite the urgent need for treating EVD, there are no approved treatments. Given the lack of treatments available, alternative therapeutic strategies have had to be used.

Areas covered: This article summarizes the unregistered therapeutics that were used to treat patients during the Ebola 2014/2015 outbreak, in addition to approaches used for the selection of candidate drugs. The article also proposes potential theoretical criterion for use in virtual screening of molecular libraries for candidate Ebola drugs.

Expert opinion: In the absence of approved therapeutics for EVD, experimental drugs have had to be used. The repurposing of approved drugs for the treatment of EVD, as an alternative therapeutic strategy, has also been suggested. Screening in vitro- and in silico-approved drugs revealed several promising candidates but further testing is required to test their efficacy. All these therapeutic approaches are, however, only short-term solutions and there is still an urgent need for the development of specific drugs for the current and future outbreaks.     

Structure-based drug discovery and protein targets in the CNS

Structure-based methods are having an increasing role and impact in drug discovery. The crystal structures of an increasing number of therapeutic targets are becoming available. These structures can transform our understanding of how these proteins perform their biological function and often provide insights into the molecular basis of disease. In addition, the structures can help the discovery process. Methods such as virtual screening and experimental fragment screening can provide starting hit compounds for a discovery project. Crystal structures of compounds bound to the protein can direct or guide the medicinal chemistry optimisation to improve drug-like properties - not only providing ideas on how to improve binding affinity or selectivity, but also showing where the compound can be modified in attempting to modulate physico-chemical properties and biological efficacy. The majority of drug discovery projects against globular protein targets now use these methods at some stage.This review provides a summary of the range of structure-based drug discovery methods that are in use and surveys the suitability of the methods for targets currently identified for CNS drugs. Until recently, structure-based discovery was difficult or unknown for these targets. The recent determination of the structures of a number of GPCR proteins, together with the steady increase in structures for other membrane proteins, is opening up the possibility for these structure-based methods to find increased use in drug discovery for CNS diseases and conditions.     

Navigating tuberculosis drug discovery with target-based screening

Introduction: Mycobacterium tuberculosis kills more people than any other bacterial pathogen. New drugs are required to shorten the treatment time and provide a viable therapy for drug-resistant and latent forms of tuberculosis. The tuberculosis field has advanced considerably since the publication of the M. tuberculosis genome sequence. Today, researchers can build a high definition map of the pathogen's traits and behavior and select individual targets for chemical disruption.

Areas covered: This review examines the discovery of current clinical and candidate tuberculosis drugs. It outlines recent developments in the selection of molecular targets for the discovery of new anti-mycobacterial agents. It appraises techniques that incorporate target knowledge into the screening protocol. These techniques include in silico, in vitro enzyme-based, differential antisense sensitivity and gene expression screening systems. The review also looks ahead to further techniques that may be applied in tuberculosis drug discovery.

Expert opinion: The adoption of an ‘either/or’ approach to targeted or random tuberculosis drug screening is not expected. The historical success of random screening in providing the tuberculosis drugs currently in clinical use is likely to ensure that non-targeted protocols retain an important role in drug screening. However, a number of M. tuberculosis inhibitors in lead optimization and preclinical development have been discovered using targeted methods. Realization of the first clinically-approved tuberculosis drugs derived from targeted screening and continued refinements in targeted screening technologies are likely to increase the adoption of targeted approaches in the future.