Glossary
ADME/tox, an acronym, is a series of critical tests in drug discovery
to characterize a compound's properties with respect to its Absorption by
the intestine, Distribution to the organism, Metabolism by the
liver, Excretion by the kidney, as well as its Toxicity. Most
high-profile drug failures are caused by toxic side effects. Researchers are
working to identify compounds with toxic properties far earlier in the
drug-discovery process, before expensive clinical trials have begun, so they can
focus their time and resources on developing only the safest and most promising
drug candidates. Click here for more information.
Biomarker (sometimes referred to as a metabolomic biomarker) is a
biochemical characteristic that can be used to diagnose and measure the progress
of disease.
Discovery Partners – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded
Discovery Partners (DPI) a multi-year contract to set up and maintain a
small-molecule repository to manage and provide up to one million chemical
compounds to multiple NIH funded Screening Centers as part of the NIH Roadmap. The repository
is being located at DPI's Chemistry Division, in San Francisco, California.
Building upon the results of the Human Genome Project, the NIH Roadmap has been
established to accelerate medical research progress in drug discovery. The
ultimate goal of the repository is to offer public sector biomedical researchers
access to hundreds of thousands of small organic molecules, which can be used as
chemical probes to study cellular pathways in greater depth. Click here for more
information.
FDA 21 CFR Part 11 – Also known as the electronic records and
signature rule, FDA 21 CFR Part 11 is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
regulation, enacted in 1997, that mandates compliance by pharmaceutical
companies for generating and archiving test data electronically in perpetuity.
Click here for more
information.
Genomics is the comprehensive study of all the genes in a cell or
organism, how they interact, and their function, based on knowing the organism's
entire DNA sequence. The term genome is used to refer to all the DNA contained
in a cell including both the chromosomes within the nucleus and the DNA in the
mitochondria, in short, the complete set of genetic material necessary for
life.
High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is an
analytical-chemistry-based tool for analyzing mixtures of chemical compounds. It
is used to determine the amount of a chemical compound within a mixture of other
chemicals, for example the exact amount of active pharmaceutical ingredient in a
drug. The sample is dissolved in a solvent (like water or alcohol) and a
detector measures response changes between the solvent itself, and the solvent
and sample when passing through it. The electrical response is digitized and
sent to a data system. Click here
for more information.
Immunoassay – a test that uses the binding of antibodies to antigens
to identify and measure certain substances. Immunoassays may be used to diagnose
disease. Also, test results can provide information about a disease that may
help in planning treatment (for example, when estrogen receptors are measured in
breast cancer).
Metabolomic biomarker (sometimes referred to as a biomarker) is a
biochemical characteristic that can be used to diagnose and measure the progress
of disease, the effects of a treatment, or who may be predisposed to experience
a harmful side effect from a drug. Click here for more information.
Metabolomics is the study of an organism's low-molecular weight
molecules or metabolites (e.g., amino acids, peptides, lipids, carbohydrates) –
chemical byproducts that result when a substance breaks down (metabolizes). By
understanding and detecting metabolic differences, for example, between normal
and diseased states, researchers hope to provide earlier and more precise
diagnosis and prevention. In drug discovery and development, it may help us to
understand how and when drugs work, interact, and cause side effects. It's also
becoming increasingly important in applications from environmental toxicology
and cell biology to plant biochemistry. Click here for more information.
Metabolite an organism's low-molecular-weight molecules (e.g., amino
acids, peptides, lipids, carbohydrates) – biochemical byproducts that result
when a substance breaks down (metabolizes).
Microplate-based biomolecular immunoassays – Typically performed using
an optical-based technology (absorbance, fluorescence, or luminescence),
microplate-based biomolecular immunoassays are tests designed to measure the
activity or function of various large molecules such as proteins, antibodies,
and nucleic acids (DNA or RNA). Many cellular functions can also be measured in
this fashion. This is also called an "immunoassay" when it is used in diagnosing
disease, for example. It's also useful in helping to plan an appropriate
treatment strategy. Click here
for more information.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has
awarded a five-year contract to The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) to
establish the Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center (PFGRC). The PFGRC is
a centralized facility providing the research community with resources necessary
to conduct functional genomics research on human pathogens and invertebrate
vectors of infectious diseases. The PFGRC provides scientists with genomic
resources and reagents such as microarrays, protein expression clones,
genotyping and bioinformatics services. The PFGRC supports the training of
scientists in the latest techniques in functional genomics and emerging genomic
technologies. Click here for more information.
NIH Roadmap for Medical Research is a series of far-reaching
initiatives designed to transform the nation's medical research capabilities and
speed the movement of scientific discoveries "from the bench to the bedside." It
provides a framework of the priorities the NIH must address in order to optimize
its entire research portfolio and lays out a vision for a more efficient and
productive system of medical research. Click here for more information.
Proteomics is the study of the set of proteins produced (expressed) by
an organism, tissue, or cell, and the changes in protein expression patterns in
health and disease, or in different environments and conditions.
Reagents are chemical substances that are used to produce a chemical
reaction in order to measure, detect, or examine other
substances. |