Chemistry or biology: which comes first after the genome is sequenced?
In drug discovery, chemical screening is performed after a protein's function has been determined. By screening for ligands that alter the function of a cell or an organism, new proteins that participate in poorly understood biological processes can be identified. Genomic and expression-cloning technologies can rapidly identify the protein targets of these ligands, enhancing the power of chemical screening as a tool for the initial stages of biological discovery.
King
R W
RW
Institute of Chemistry and Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. randy_king@hms.harvard.edu
D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015195:Drug Design; D016678:Genome