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Structural proteomics

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 1, pages 175–176 (2002)Cite this article

The sequence of the human genome holds the promise of a plethora of new targets on which pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies can focus their drug development programmes. However, in a capital-intensive industry, a crucial factor is the management of risk, and the pros that are associated with concentrating on new targets must be weighed against the cons of clinical development failure. With research and development (R&D) spending continuing to rise (Fig. 1), there is perhaps a feeling within the industry that to satisfy the markets and deliver shareholder value, it is more prudent to concentrate on the kind of validated targets that shareholders like the best — that is, those with associated drugs already in the marketplace.

Increasing R&D spending has not, as yet, delivered significantly increased numbers of new approved drugs (Fig. 1), or created opportunities for a 'risk-minimized' approach to discovery. But with a predicted 40,000 genes in the human genome, the proteome promises to hold many more targets for an industry that has built its business on a mere 500 so far. Technologies that allow the strategic design of potent, specific new chemical entities (NCEs) that are directed at these novel targets will minimize the R&D risk, and will be of great potential benefit from both a commercial and a therapeutic standpoint.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Consultants at Wood Mackenzie, 5th Floor, Tower 42, Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HW, UK

    Siân Renfrey & James Featherstone

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  1. Siân Renfrey
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  2. James Featherstone
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Correspondence to James Featherstone.

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Renfrey, S., Featherstone, J. Structural proteomics. Nat Rev Drug Discov 1, 175–176 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd766

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