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Encyclopedia of Cancer pp 1–3Cite as

Drug Discovery

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Definition

In the field of cancer biology and oncologic pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which cancer drugs are discovered and developed. The process of drug discovery involves identification of cancer targets, chemical or biological design and synthesis of molecules against a given target, and screening and characterization of these molecules for maximal therapeutic efficacy and minimal toxicity. Once a molecule has shown activity in these tests preclinically, then the clinical development process will begin.

Characteristics

The process of cancer drug discovery involves multiple steps, beginning with selection of appropriate cancer targets, complex design and screening of potential molecules, and completion of drug characterization in disease relevant preclinical models to evaluate anticancer efficacy and toxicity tolerance prior to advancing to clinical development. Each step will be discussed in more detail in the following sections.

Cancer Targets

The biology of...

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oncology Research, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, San Diego, CA, USA

    Min-Jean Yin

Authors
  1. Min-Jean Yin
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Correspondence to Min-Jean Yin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

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Yin, MJ. (2014). Drug Discovery. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_7080-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_7080-4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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