Virtual Screening: an emergent, key methodology for drug development in an emergent continent. A bridge towards patentability

A. TALEVI; E. A. CASTRO; L. E. BRUNO-BLANCH

Advanced Methods and Applications in Chemoinformatics: Research Methods and New Applications

ISI Global

Año: 2011; p. 229 - 245

The universe of known organic chemical compounds has grown exponentially during the last 50 years, which greatly increases the probability of finding chemotherapeutic agents which interact selectively with any given molecular target. Traditional systematic pharmacological screening of available drug-like compounds has, however, can not keep the pace with the uninterrupted growth of the chemical space. The last 20 years have thus witnessed the emergence of novel high throughput screening technologies conceived to explore the vast chemical universe in an efficient manner, among them, virtual or in silico screening. In this chapter we analyze virtual screening advantages and the classification of virtual screening approaches. We also discuss the current and potential importance of virtual screening for drug development in Latin America. Finally, we present a brief overview on virtual screening perspectives.