Identifying the biological origin of a disease, and the potential targets for intervention, is the first step in the discovery of a medicine. More an art than a science, target identification is grounded in a number of different approaches and technologies, many of which are used in Roche research and early development.
Facts and figures
Today, we have only scratched the surface in terms of the drugs available on the market. But within a foreseeable future there will be many mechanisms known and many targets identified for which drugs will be under development.
Once you have understood the molecular mechanism of a disease, you basically have a clue or an avenue towards a test and a therapy. But in the future, the two will go together: the diagnostic to identify the molecular mechanism for the patient together with the drug that is treating the molecular mechanism of the disease.
Meet the scientist: Hendrik Knoetgen
Hendrik leads a team of scientists at Roche in Penzberg, Germany. As part of pRED, his team focuses on lead identification—an early step in the drug development process.