Arnab Bhattacharjee, Ankur Kumar, Probir Kumar Ojha, Supratik Kar
{"title":"Artificial intelligence to predict inhibitors of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters for safer drug design.","authors":"Arnab Bhattacharjee, Ankur Kumar, Probir Kumar Ojha, Supratik Kar","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2491669","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17460441.2025.2491669","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and transporters (DTs) play integral roles in drug metabolism and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) which directly impact drug efficacy and safety. It is well-established that inhibition of DMEs and DTs often leads to adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and therapeutic failure. As such, early prediction of such inhibitors is vital in drug development. In this context, the limitations of the traditional in vitro assays and QSAR models methods have been addressed by harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) techniques.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This narrative review presents the insights gained from the application of AI for predicting DME and DT inhibitors over the past decade. Several case studies demonstrate successful AI applications in enzyme-transporter interaction prediction, and the authors discuss workflows for integrating these predictions into drug design and regulatory frameworks.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>The application of AI in predicting DME and DT inhibitors has demonstrated significant potential toward enhancing drug safety and effectiveness. However, critical challenges involve the data quality, biases, and model transparency. The availability of diverse, high-quality datasets alongside the integration of pharmacokinetic and genomic data are essential. Lastly, the collaboration among computational scientists, pharmacologists, and regulatory bodies is pyramidal in tailoring AI tools for personalized medicine and safer drug development.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":"20 5","pages":"621-641"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143975743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emily Carroll, Jakub Scaber, Kilian V M Huber, Paul E Brennan, Alexander G Thompson, Martin R Turner, Kevin Talbot
{"title":"Drug repurposing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).","authors":"Emily Carroll, Jakub Scaber, Kilian V M Huber, Paul E Brennan, Alexander G Thompson, Martin R Turner, Kevin Talbot","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2474661","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2474661","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Identifying treatments that can alter the natural history of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is challenging. For years, drug discovery in ALS has relied upon traditional approaches with limited success. Drug repurposing, where clinically approved drugs are reevaluated for other indications, offers an alternative strategy that overcomes some of the challenges associated with de novo drug discovery.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>In this review, the authors discuss the challenge of drug discovery in ALS and examine the potential of drug repurposing for the identification of new effective treatments. The authors consider a range of approaches, from screening in experimental models to computational approaches, and outline some general principles for preclinical and clinical research to help bridge the translational gap. Literature was reviewed from original publications, press releases and clinical trials.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Despite remaining challenges, drug repurposing offers the opportunity to improve therapeutic options for ALS patients. Nevertheless, stringent preclinical research will be necessary to identify the most promising compounds together with innovative experimental medicine studies to bridge the translational gap. The authors further highlight the importance of combining expertise across academia, industry and wider stakeholders, which will be key in the successful delivery of repurposed therapies to the clinic.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":" ","pages":"447-464"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11974926/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143540655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications in drug discovery and development.","authors":"Huihong Wang, Jiale Huang, Xianfu Fang, Mengyao Liu, Xiaohong Fan, Yizhou Li","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2481262","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2481262","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Drug discovery is a complex and multifaceted process driven by scientific innovation and advanced technologies. Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms, encompassing both short-read and long-read technologies, have revolutionized the field by enabling the high-throughput and cost-effective analysis of DNA and RNA molecules. Continuous advancements in NGS-based technologies have enabled their seamless integration across preclinical and clinical workflows in drug discovery, encompassing early-stage drug target identification, candidate selection, genetically stratified clinical trials, and pharmacogenetic studies.</p><p><strong>Area covered: </strong>This review provides an overview of the current and potential applications of NGS-based technologies in drug discovery and development process, including their roles in novel drug target identification, high-throughput screening, clinical trials, and clinical medication studies. The review is based on literature retrieval from the PubMed and Web of Science databases between 2018 and 2024.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>As technologies advance rapidly, NGS enhances accuracy and generates vast datasets. These datasets are extensively integrated with other heterogeneous data in systems biology and are mined using machine learning to extract significant insights, thereby driving progress in drug discovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":" ","pages":"537-550"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143656585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maryam S Fakhri Bafghi, Niloofar Khoshnam Rad, Ghazal Roostaei, Shekoufeh Nikfar, Mohammad Abdollahi
{"title":"The reality of modeling irritable bowel syndrome: progress and challenges.","authors":"Maryam S Fakhri Bafghi, Niloofar Khoshnam Rad, Ghazal Roostaei, Shekoufeh Nikfar, Mohammad Abdollahi","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2481264","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2481264","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that is often therapeutically challenging. While research has advanced our understanding of IBS pathophysiology, developing precise models to predict drug response and treatment outcomes remains a significant hurdle.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This perspective provides an overview of the use of animal models alongside cutting-edge technologies used to bring drugs from bench to bedside.Furthermore, the authors examine the progress and limitations of IBS modeling. The authors further discuss the challenges of traditional animal models and gives a spotlight to the potential of innovative technologies, such as organ-on-chip systems, computational models, and artificial intelligence (AI). These approaches intend to enhance both the understanding and treatment of IBS.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Although animal models have been central to understanding IBS research, they have limitations. The future of IBS research resides in integrating organ-on-chip systems and utilizing modern technological developments, such as AI. These tools will enable the design of more effective treatment strategies and improve patients' overall well-being. To achieve this, collaboration between experts from various disciplines is essential to improve these models and guarantee their clinical application and reliability.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":"20 4","pages":"433-445"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143751862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Embracing the changes and challenges with modern early drug discovery.","authors":"Vinay Kumar, Kunal Roy","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2481259","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2481259","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The landscape of early drug discovery is rapidly evolving, fueled by significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which are transforming the way drugs are discovered. As traditional drug discovery faces growing challenges in terms of time, cost, and efficacy, there is a pressing need to integrate these emerging technologies to enhance the discovery process.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>In this perspective, the authors explore the role of AI and ML in modern early drug discovery and discuss their application in drug target identification, compound screening, and biomarker discovery. This article is based on a thorough literature search using the PubMed database to identify relevant studies that highlight the use of AI/ML models in computational chemistry, systems biology, and data-driven approaches to drug development. Emphasis is placed on how these technologies address key challenges such as data integration, predictive performance, and cost-efficiency in the drug discovery pipeline.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>AI and ML have the potential to revolutionize early drug discovery by improving the accuracy and speed of identifying viable drug candidates. However, successful integration of these technologies requires overcoming challenges related to data quality, model interpretability, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":" ","pages":"419-431"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143647860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Beatriz Suay-García, Joan Climent, María Teresa Pérez-Gracia, Antonio Falcó
{"title":"A comprehensive update on the use of molecular topology applications for anti-infective drug discovery.","authors":"Beatriz Suay-García, Joan Climent, María Teresa Pérez-Gracia, Antonio Falcó","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2477625","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2477625","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The rapid emergence of infectious diseases poses a significant threat to global economies and public health. To combat this, it is crucial to develop effective treatments. One essential tool in drug design is molecular topology, which uses topological indices to build QSAR models. This mathematical framework describes chemical compound structures, facilitating easy characterization.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>Classical ligand-based molecular topology has a series of limitations that can be overcome by shifting focus into structure-based approaches. Recent developments have emerged, focusing on target protein topology rather than drug molecules. Techniques like TDA, ESPH, LWPH, and molecular GDL are among the new methods being explored. This review is based on literature searches utilizing PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify articles published between the year 2000 and 2024.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>The authors believe that it is time to move away from traditional molecular topology and toward innovative approaches and technologies. Shifting focus from ligand-based to structure-based molecular topology, combined with new databases and algorithms, can aid in fighting drug-resistant microorganisms. This shift opens a broader chemical space for developing new anti-infective drugs, ultimately improving public health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":" ","pages":"465-474"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143582267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Klaudia Knecht-Gurwin, Lukasz Matusiak, Jacek C Szepietowski
{"title":"The preclinical discovery and development of secukinumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa.","authors":"Klaudia Knecht-Gurwin, Lukasz Matusiak, Jacek C Szepietowski","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2482058","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2482058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin condition with a significant impact on patient quality of life, highlighting the need for innovative therapeutic approaches. HS is characterized by its chronicity; it presents in the form of painful nodules, abscesses, and sinus tracts or fistulas, typically localized in intertriginous areas, emerging in early adulthood and in predominantly the female population.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>In this review, the authors discuss the preclinical discovery and development of secukinumab for HS, highlighting target identification, validation, and compound selection. Methodologies such as high-content screening, chemoinformatics, and animal models that validate the IL-17 pathway's role in HS are explored. The transition from preclinical to clinical development, including pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and ADME-Tox studies, is elaborated. The literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, UpToDate, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Google Scholar, covering relevant studies published up to December 2024.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>The integration of secukinumab into HS treatment highlights the critical role of targeting the IL-17A pathway. Although efficacious and safe in trials, understanding secukinumab's long-term effects and optimal treatment placement remains challenging. Future research should prioritize the development of tailored therapeutic strategies that align with individual disease phenotypes and immune profiles to enhance treatment outcomes in HS management.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":" ","pages":"405-417"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143662705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Revisiting experimental models of erectile dysfunction and their value in drug discovery and development.","authors":"Hao Wang, Eric Chung","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2482065","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2482065","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common condition that often signals underlying endothelial dysfunction, although the underlying causative factor(s) are likely complex and multifactorial. Various animal models have been developed to provide a research platform to study ED and served as an important basis for the discovery and subsequent development of novel therapeutic drugs for ED.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>The review article provides an overview of various animal models in ED research with an emphasis on important drug target discovery relating to each specific experimental model. The authors highlight translation from basic science research to major preclinical and clinical studies in this evolving field of ED research.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Animal models simulate the pathological features of various types of ED and clarify their molecular mechanisms. These mechanisms aid in discovering drug targets, while established ED models also provide a basis for validating drug efficacy, safety, and specific action mechanisms. The development of techniques in detection methods, cellular experimental, and omics has a profound impact on disease prediction, model evaluation, and optimization of therapeutic modalities. On this basis, many drug therapies targeting these ED-related mechanisms, especially in the nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathways have been applied in preclinical studies. However, focusing on drug development for those types of ED where phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor therapy is limited may be more valuable.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":" ","pages":"499-516"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143662702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advances in the design, discovery, and optimization of aurora kinase inhibitors as anticancer agents.","authors":"Anubhav Verma, Pradhuman Bharatiya, Aashish Jaitak, Vaibhav Nigam, Vikramdeep Monga","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2481272","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2481272","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Aurora kinases (AKs) play key roles during carcinogenesis and show a close relationship with many cellular effects including mitotic entry, spindle assembly and chromosomal alignment biorientation. Indeed, elevated levels of AKs have been reported in several different tumor types, leading research scientists to investigate ways that we can target AKs for the purpose of developing new anticancer therapeutics.</p><p><strong>Area covered: </strong>This review examines the design, discovery, and development of Aurora kinase inhibitors (AKIs) as anticancer agents and delineates their roles in cancer progression or development. Various databases like PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar, SciFinder were used to search the relevant information. This article provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the medicinal chemistry of AKIs including the candidates under clinical development and list of patents filed. In addition, their mechanistic findings, SARs, and <i>in silico</i> studies have also been discussed to offer prospects in this field.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>The integration of artificial intelligence and computational approaches is poised to accelerate the development of AKIs as anticancer agents. However, the associated challenges currently hindering its impact in drug development must be overcome before drugs can successfully translate from early drug development into clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":" ","pages":"475-497"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143647859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Innovative strategies for the discovery of new drugs against androgenetic alopecia.","authors":"Kevin J McElwee, John P Sundberg","doi":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2473905","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17460441.2025.2473905","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common cause of hair loss worldwide. The significant psychological and social impact of AGA continues to drive demand for more effective treatments beyond the limited options currently available.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>The authors review the key components of AGA pathogenesis, as well as current treatments, and therapeutic techniques under development. Innovative strategies for AGA drug discovery are still needed, given the significant unmet medical needs and the limited efficacy of both current and emerging treatments. The authors outline relevant preclinical models, such as hair follicle (HF) cell cultures, 3D spheroids, organoids, follicle explants, and animal models, highlighting their advantages and limitations in AGA research. Finally, they summarize the primary objectives in AGA treatment development, including direct hair growth promotion, interference with androgen signaling, and HF rejuvenation, identifying key pathogenesis intervention points for treatment development.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Developing better <i>in vitro</i> models, possibly using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) systems, could greatly accelerate drug discovery. Similarly, a superior <i>in vivo</i> model could significantly expedite drug discovery. Near future development research should focus on drug delivery improvements. Longer term, treatments targeting AGA's underlying pathophysiology and promoting HF rejuvenation or true regeneration would provide the most benefit to prospective patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":12267,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery","volume":" ","pages":"517-536"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143540658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}