Can cell systems biology rescue drug discovery?

Abstract

The focus of innovation in current drug discovery is on new targets, yet compound efficacy and safety in biological models of disease - not target selection - are the criteria that determine which drug candidates enter the clinic. We consider a biology-driven approach to drug discovery that involves screening compounds by automated response profiling in disease models based on complex human-cell systems. Drug discovery through cell systems biology could significantly reduce the time and cost of new drug development.