How are drugs developed to target specific areas (pain/allergies/disease). How do you translate scientific body knowledge into a drug that targets that area. And how do scientists determine cross reactions to other drugs or conditions. Do they have to test every combo?

Question

How are drugs developed to target specific areas (pain/allergies/disease). How do you translate scientific body knowledge into a drug that targets that area. And how do scientists determine cross reactions to other drugs or conditions. Do they have to test every combo?

In: 322

Answer 1

Hey, so all throughout your body are receptors (locks) drugs work by binding (key) to these locks, which can trigger the receptors to stop doing an action or start an action. Drugs (keys) are being designed to be more exact so they only fit into one similar type of lock rather than multiple types. I work in mental health, when you are given an antidepressant (key), it can act on multiple types of receptors (locks), like dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine receptors. Science is starting to give us the ability to refine the drug so it only will target the dopamine receptor and leave the other ones alone.