Biological target

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.

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:

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:

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 containing biological targets information:

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