What are the recent advancements in molecular and cell biology?
DK. The major advance in molecular biology in the last decade is unquestionably the sequencing of the human genome, as well as the sequencing of many other animal and plant genomes. The availability of the human gene sequences provides unprecedented access to large numbers of potential new drug targets. Validation of these new targets has proven difficult and it is a major bottleneck in early drug discovery. However, new genetic technologies such as siRNA and gene knock-out animals are now proving useful in validating new targets. The universal recognition of the need for better in vitro and in vivo models systems for predicting drug response in humans has lead to several important developments in cell biology. Most notably, primary cell lines derived from a wide range of normal human tissues are now being used as more relevant models for drug evaluation. Another recently developed in vitro human model system currently used for toxicity assessment in early discovery, is the human adult
