Novel computational approaches to polypharmacology as a means to define responses to individual drugs

Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2012:52:361-79. doi: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010611-134630. Epub 2011 Oct 17.

Abstract

Polypharmacology, which focuses on designing therapeutics to target multiple receptors, has emerged as a new paradigm in drug discovery. Polypharmacological effects are an attribute of most, if not all, drug molecules. The efficacy and toxicity of drugs, whether designed as single- or multitarget therapeutics, result from complex interactions between pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Ultimately, to predict a drug response phenotype, it is necessary to understand the change in information flow through cellular networks resulting from dynamic drug-target interactions and the impact that this has on the complete biological system. Although such is a future objective, we review recent progress and challenges in computational techniques that enable the prediction and analysis of in vitro and in vivo drug-response phenotypes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Computational Biology / methods*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods*
  • Drug Design
  • Drug Discovery*
  • Drug Interactions
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Phenotype
  • Proteomics / methods

Substances

  • Ligands