Biological Target - Drug Targets

Drug Targets

The term biological target is frequently used in pharmaceutical research to describe the native protein in the body whose activity is modified by a drug resulting in a desirable therapeutic effect. In this context, the biological target is often referred to as a drug target. The most common drug targets of currently marketed drugs include:

• proteins
  • G protein-coupled receptors (target of 50% of drugs)
  • enzymes (especially protein kinases, proteases, esterases, and phosphatases)
  • ion channels
    • ligand-gated ion channels
    • voltage-gated ion channels
  • nuclear hormone receptors
  • structural proteins such as tubulin
  • membrane transport proteins
• nucleic acids