What is the first major stage in the drug development process?

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What is the first major stage in the drug development process?

Identifying a disease-relevant biological target is the first major stage. This means choosing a protein, receptor, enzyme, or pathway whose activity drives the disease and that can be modulated by a drug. Having a defined target gives the direction for everything that follows: it’s the anchor around which potential therapies are developed and evaluated. After a target is identified (and ideally validated to show that modulating it could yield a therapeutic benefit), the next steps involve discovering and optimizing compounds that affect that target, then moving into preclinical testing and finally clinical trials. Without a defined target, the subsequent discovery and testing steps wouldn’t have a clear purpose.

Identifying a disease-relevant biological target is the first major stage. This means choosing a protein, receptor, enzyme, or pathway whose activity drives the disease and that can be modulated by a drug. Having a defined target gives the direction for everything that follows: it’s the anchor around which potential therapies are developed and evaluated. After a target is identified (and ideally validated to show that modulating it could yield a therapeutic benefit), the next steps involve discovering and optimizing compounds that affect that target, then moving into preclinical testing and finally clinical trials. Without a defined target, the subsequent discovery and testing steps wouldn’t have a clear purpose.

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