Elucidating the Mode of Action of Marine Natural Products through an Immunoaffinity Fluorescent (IAF) Approach

• Main Author: La Clair,James J.
• Publication Date: 2016
• Other Authors: Fenical,William, Costa-Lotufo,Leticia V.
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society (Online)
• Download full: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-50532016000801346
• topic: marine natural product; mode of action; drug discovery; target identification; confocal microscopy

Understanding the target and mode of action (MOA) of small molecules activity has become a critical feature in guiding the transition between drug discovery and clinical evaluation. While classically placed at the latter stages of a discovery program, we now describe how addressing the mode of action of natural products at the early stages of a program provides an important vehicle to inform the drug discovery process. In this review, we outline a streamlined cellular and molecular biological system and explore its utility through a series of four cases studies. We believe that this approach offers critical lessons to guide future drug discovery programs.