In silico methods for early toxicity assessment.
Cédric Merlot · PubMed · 2008
The number of new drugs that reach the market is declining every year, and, in recent years, several drugs already on the market have been withdrawn because of safety concerns. In response to this, the pharmaceutical industry is poised to take advantage of innovative methods that will increase the efficiency of its research and development. An in silico approach to predicting safety issues could provide meaningful information early on in the drug discovery process, and representing a relatively inexpensive alternative to current methods. Recent advances in the field of in silico toxicology are reviewed herein, along with a discussion of the reasons behind this increased attention.