Drug Targeting and Design
Targeted drug delivery system as the name suggests is a science of specifying the drug moiety to targeted area. This type of delivery system is at par with the traditional drug delivery system as only a targeted area like cancer cells, kidneys, liver etc. have been targeted though this method. Despite that the researchers have faced extreme challenges to master the craft of targeted drug delivery system and also the cost of development of a single product available in the market, a vast number of positive aspects can be seen. In this review, some basic concepts of this system has been discussed, also a brief of the type of drug carrier used in formulating such a dosage form is mentioned. A list of approved and marketed formulation like Liposomal daunorubicin, Liposomal cytarabine, Liposomal amphotericin B, Liposomal amphotericin B, etc has been discussed in relevant places.
‘Drug design’ or ‘tailor-made compound’ aims at developing a drug with high degree of
chemotherapeutic index and specific action.
Drug design seeks to explain :
- Effects of biological compounds on the basis of molecular interaction in terms of molecular structures or precisely the physicochemical properties of the molecules involved.
- Various processes by which the drugs usually produce their pharmacological effects.
- How the drugs specifically react with the protoplasm to elicit a particular pharmacological response.
- How the drugs usually get modified or detoxicated, metabolized or eliminated by the organism.
- Probable relationship between biological activity with chemical structure.
Drug design may be considered as an integrated whole approach which essentially involves various steps, namely : chemical synthesis, evaluation for activity-spectrum, toxicological studies, metabolism of the drug, i.e., biotransformation and the study of the various metabolites formed, assay procedures, and lastly galenical formulation and biopharmaceutics.