Target (biology)

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A target ( English for "target") is a biomolecule to which a drug can bind. This is exactly how the active ingredient unfolds its effect. Active ingredients, for example, drugs to be so that targets play an important role in drug discovery. Targets are often target proteins , for example an enzyme , a receptor or an ion channel .

The identification of targets and their investigation within the framework of signal transduction processes and the understanding of their interactions with ligands are central elements of modern biomedical research. In addition to molecular biology and molecular pharmacology, this particularly applies to pharmaceutical sciences .

Targets are responsible for the effect of drugs, but also their kinetics in the organism. The elucidation of the structure, conformational behavior and catalytic properties of specific targets enables a rational design of active substances and biotechnological processes. In the context of therapy with “biologicals” (see recombinant proteins ), target proteins are also drugs themselves, the modification and formulation of which are the focus of pharmaceutical science. Finally, target protein- inducer interactions can be used for biomolecular transcription switching systems, for example to control gene therapy measures.

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