Drug Discovery and Molecular Pharmacology A – DMPA

Topics

• Discovery of novel anti-infective agents including small molecule inhibitors, natural products, therapeutic peptides, and adjunct therapeutics 
• Discovery of anti-infective biologics, including antibodies, CRISPR-based approaches, phage therapy, and probiotic/microbiota-based approaches
• Discovery of novel agents for host-directed therapies, including immunotherapies, to counter infections
• Molecular characterization of anti-infective agents, including mechanism of action, structural characterization, and confirmation of target engagement
• Development of novel assays and models to test drug efficacy, including cellular, organoid, and animal model systems

Shared Interests and Overlaps

There are shared interests in early-stage drug characterization with Infectious Disease Drug Development and Molecular Pharmacology [DCAI (81)]. Applications that emphasize optimization of lead therapeutics are reviewed in DCAI (81), whereas applications that emphasize initial discovery methods are reviewed in DMPA. 

There are shared interests in drug development with Advancing Therapeutics B (ATB). Applications that emphasize late-stage drug development efforts such as diversification, optimization and preclinical toxicity and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies may be reviewed in ATB. Applications that emphasize drug discovery may be reviewed in DMPA.

There are shared interests in infectious disease drug development with Anti-Infective Resistance and Targets (AIRT). Applications that emphasize characterization of drug targets and resistance mechanisms may be reviewed in AIRT. Applications that emphasize drug discovery may be reviewed in DMPA.

There are shared interests in drug design with Chemical Biology & Probes (CBP). Applications that emphasize drug synthesis with limited biological assessments may be reviewed in CBP. Applications that emphasize drug function and anti-infective potential may be reviewed in DMPA.

There are shared interests in pathogen biology with Prokaryotic Cell and Molecular Biology (PCMB), Bacterial-Host Interactions (BHI), Bacterial Virulence (BV), Molecular and Cellular Biology of Virus Infection (MCV), Viral Dynamics and Transmission (VDT), Viral Pathogenesis and Immunity (VPI) and Pathogenic Eukaryotes (PTHE). Applications that emphasize understanding fundamental processes or pathogenesis mechanisms, or that use known drugs as probes, may be reviewed in the relevant pathogen-focused study section. Applications that emphasize developing new anti-infective drugs may be reviewed in DMPA.

There are shared interests with the Molecular and Structural Immunology (MSI) in antibody analyses. Applications that focus on antibodies as potential therapeutics may be reviewed in DMPA. Applications addressing all other aspects of immune responses may be reviewed in MSI.