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Evolutionary thinking as a tool in pharmaceutical development
Author(s) -
LeGrand Edmund K.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
drug development research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.582
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1098-2299
pISSN - 0272-4391
DOI - 10.1002/ddr.1145
Subject(s) - relevance (law) , disease , causation , pharmaceutical industry , engineering ethics , risk analysis (engineering) , management science , cognitive science , psychology , medicine , biology , epistemology , microbiology and biotechnology , engineering , political science , philosophy , pathology , law
The rapidly expanding technologies involving chemical synthesis and screening, genomics, and bioinformatics are leading to the point where every gene product can be modulated as a therapeutic target. Thus, pharmaceuticals increasingly offer the potential to control disease processes. While great strides in understanding disease processes can come from this mechanistic approach (addressing “how?” questions), complete understanding is impossible without addressing the ultimate causation of disease processes. By addressing ultimate (“why?”) questions, evolutionary thinking provides a firm theoretical framework for all biological processes, including those relating to disease. Of practical relevance for pharmaceutical development is an increased awareness of evolved responses and potential consequences of bypassing these defenses. Examples involving reproductive medicine, components of the acute phase response, apoptosis, and axonal regeneration are discussed. Drug Dev. Res. 52:439–445, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.