A research team at Dartmouth College has developed a new strategy for drug discovery and development that can be used to produce targeted therapies against diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration, according to a study published in Nature Communications. It is hoped that the process will also be useful in the large-scale production of new pharmaceuticals.
The new technique uses a novel synthesis approach for a class of organic compounds known as tetracyclic terpenoids. Tetracyclic terpenoids are responsible for more than 100 FDA-approved drugs and are considered the most successful class of natural product-inspired pharmaceuticals.
“Until now, there was nothing like this available for drug discovery and development,” said Glenn Micalizio, the New Hampshire Professor of Chemistry at Dartmouth. “While additional development is expected to enhance the power of this new technology, I believe that we are at the beginning of establishing a truly enabling and potentially transformative technology for the pharmaceutical industry.”
Read more at Dartmouth College