Drug Discovery Today

In recent years, tools for the development of new drugs have been dramatically improved. These include genomic and proteomic research, numerous biophysical methods, combinatorial chemistry and screening technologies. In addition, early ADMET studies are employed in order to significantly reduce the failure rate in the development of drug candidates. As a consequence, the lead finding, lead optimization and development process has gained marked enhancement in speed and efficiency. In parallel to this development, major pharmaceutical companies are increasingly outsourcing many components of drug discovery research to biotech companies. All these measures are designed to address the need for a faster time to market. New screening methodologies have significantly enhanced the drug discovery process. High throughput screening accelerates lead discovery through rapid evaluation of compound collections, which may already be biased toward a target of interest through in silico screening. This article discusses new NMR screening techniques, which have opened the door to a wide range of new lead finding and lead optimization opportunities.