Medicines from nature: are natural products still relevant to drug discovery?
Historically, most drugs have been derived from natural products, but there has been a shift away from their use with the increasing predominance of molecular approaches to drug discovery. Nevertheless, their structural diversity makes them a valuable source of novel lead compounds against newly discovered therapeutic targets. Technical advances in analytical techniques mean that the use of natural products is easier than before. However, there is a widening gap between natural-product researchers in countries rich in biodiversity and drug discovery scientists immersed in proteomics and high-throughput screening.
Harvey
A L
AL
Strathclyde Institute for Drug Research, and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Strathclyde, 27 Taylor Street, Glasgow, UK G4 0NR.
D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans
D001688:Biological Products