Disease Target Validation and Compound Evaluation Using Pathway Analysis Approaches
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Presented By
Presented by the Biochemical Pharmacology Discussion Group and the American Chemical Society's New York section
Organizers: Jose Perez, Pfizer; Jeanne Magram, Boehringer-Ingelheim
Challenges in Drug Discovery begin at the stage of Target Validation and continue through confirming the mechanism of action of a compound in a cell. During Target Validation, Investigators often rely on knockout animals and chemical or biological tools to build confidence in a target. However, these may take a significant amount of time to develop or may not be available. To understand a compounds activity, investigators often monitor selectivity vs. homologous enzymes and look for down stream effects of a compound in a cell to confirm that the compound is acting on the targeted pathway. These approaches capture a very narrow view signal transduction and a compounds activity in a complex cellular environment. Pathway Analysis, an emerging area under the Systems Biology umbrella, is an effort to take a broader view of cellular function and a systems response to stimulation and pathway modulation. This mini-symposium is directed at reviewing some of the recent advances made in the application of Pathway Analysis to Drug Development.
1:00 – 1:10 Introduction
1:10 – 1:50
Yan Feng, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, MA "Identify New (Old) Cell Cycle Regulatory Pathways Using Whole Genome siRNA Knockdown and Multiparameter Imaging Cytometry Profiling."
2:00 – 2:40
Paul Young, Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Germantown, MD, "Transcriptional Fingerprints: Molecular Sherpas on the Path to Novel Drugs."
2:50 – 3:20 Refreshment Break
3:20 – 4:00
Peter Krutzik, Stanford University, CA, "Phospho-Specific Flow Cytometry as a Tool for Drug Screening and Development: Insight from the Single Cell."
4:10 – 4:50
Ellen Berg, BioSeek Inc., Burlingame, CA, "Complex Human Cell Systems Analysis for Mechanism of Action and Identification of Pathway Networks."
5:00 – 5:10 Closing Remarks