Application of biological target fishing technology in drug discovery

Target fishing, a cutting-edge technology for drug research and development, plays a significant role in drug discovery. Varieties of methods for finding small-molecule drug targets have come into being driven by genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and other technologies. These new methods are mainly based on the expression of gene or protein and proteins properties, including affinity and stability and so on. A serious challenge for the most widely used small molecule drugs is the discovery and identification of biological (and potential therapeutic) targets. Herein, we enumerate five biological target fishing techniques, including surface plasma resonance (SPR) techniques, random photo modified probes, drug affinity responsive target stability, fishing-rod strategy, and photo affinity labeling. And then we introduces the principles of operation, practical applications in the biological field of five methods, and analysis of their shortcomings. © 2020 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland.