Computer Program Aids Drug Development
By Biotechdaily staff writers
Posted on 08 Apr 2005
Drug developers have written a computer program designed to distinguish the molecular targets of a bioactive compound from the myriad of additional gene products that respond indirectly to changes in the activity of target molecules.Posted on 08 Apr 2005
Investigators at Boston University (MA, USA) filtered the mRNA expression profile of compound-exposed cells using a reverse-engineered model of the cell's gene regulatory network. The process was applied to 515 whole-genome yeast expression profiles resulting from a variety of treatments (compounds, knockouts, and induced expression).
Results published in the March 4, 2004, issue of Nature Biotechnology revealed that when the method was applied to PTSB, a growth inhibitory compound with a previously unknown mode of action, it was possible to predict that thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase were its targets. This prediction was then validated by experiments in the laboratory.
The investigators expect that use of this tool will allow drug developers to design compounds that will act on only desired gene and protein targets, and thus reduce incidences of unwanted side effects.
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