Computer-Aided Design of Bioactive Agents
| GRANT | FUNDING AGENCY | PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacochemical Studies of Opioid Narcotics (active through August 2004) |
NIH-NIDA | Jelveh Lameh |
| Molecular Modeling, Design, & Evaluation of BDZ Ligands (completed in January 2003) |
NIH-NIDA | Timothy M. DeLorey |
Treatment of various human physiological disorders remains a major challenge in the biomedical field. Numerous ailments lack effective therapies, while others with accepted therapies remain a challenge due to the side effects associated with the specific treatment. A major cornerstone of any therapeutic intervention is the use of pharmacological agents. Our goal is to design therapeutic strategies using drugs that exhibit a more precise effect while minimizing detrimental side effects. We approach this goal using a unique combination of experimental and computational methodologies.
We are currently applying this strategy to:
- Design of potential treatments for the age-related memory loss associated with senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type
- Design of opioid analgesics lacking the side effects of ventilatory depression and physical dependence liability
- Design of novel analgesics
To read about the interaction between drugs and
G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), click here.