A biological target is anything within a living organism to which some other entity (like an endogenous ligand or a drug) is directed and/or binds, resulting in a change in its behavior or function. Examples of common classes of biological targets are proteins and nucleic acids. The definition is context-dependent, and can refer to the biological target of a pharmacologically active drug compound, the receptor target of a hormone (like insulin), or some other target of an external stimulus. Biological targets are most commonly proteins such as enzymes, ion channels, and receptors.
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Mechanism
The external stimulus (i.e., the drug or ligand) physically binds to ("hits") the biological target. The interaction between the substance and the target may be:
Depending on the nature of the stimulus, the following can occur:
Drug targets
The term "biological target" is frequently used in pharmaceutical research to describe the native protein in the body whose activity is modified by a drug resulting in a specific effect, which may be a desirable therapeutic effect or an unwanted adverse effect. In this context, the biological target is often referred to as a drug target. The most common drug targets of currently marketed drugs include:
Drug target identification
Identifying the biological origin of a disease, and the potential targets for intervention, is the first step in the discovery of a medicine. Number of different approaches have been identified such as drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS).
Databases
Databases containing biological targets information: