Research On Lengthening Time A Drug Remains Bound To A Target May Lead To Improving Diagnostics, Therapy
Posted Apr 14 2010 3:50pm
Research conducted at the Stony Brook University Institute for Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery that enhances the time a drug remains bound to its target, or residence time, may prove to be an important step in developing better diagnostic and therapeutic agents based partly on longer drug residence time. Led by Stony Brook University Professor of Chemistry Peter J. Tonge, Ph.D., the research results will be presented at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., on April 24.
“Our research team believes that many drugs are effective because they have long residence times on their target,” says Dr. Tonge, Director of Infectious Disease Research at the Institute for Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery. “This concept has largely been ignored by investigators, and residence time is not usually incorporated into the drug discovery process.”
Dr. Tonge explains that most drug discovery efforts obtain only data on the thermodynamic affinity of the drug for its target, measurements that are made at constant drug concentration. However, the SBU-led research factors in residence time, which he emphasizes is critical for activity in vivo where drug concentrations fluctuate with time.
Research conducted at the Stony Brook University Institute for Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery that enhances the time a drug remains bound to its target, or residence time, may prove to be an important step in developing better diagnostic and therapeutic agents based partly on longer drug residence time. Led by Stony Brook University Professor of Chemistry Peter J. Tonge, Ph.D., the research results will be presented at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., on April 24.
“Our research team believes that many drugs are effective because they have long residence times on their target,” says Dr. Tonge, Director of Infectious Disease Research at the Institute for Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery. “This concept has largely been ignored by investigators, and residence time is not usually incorporated into the drug discovery process.”
Dr. Tonge explains that most drug discovery efforts obtain only data on the thermodynamic affinity of the drug for its target, measurements that are made at constant drug concentration. However, the SBU-led research factors in residence time, which he emphasizes is critical for activity in vivo where drug concentrations fluctuate with time.