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Mariani NAP, Silva JV, Fardilha M, Silva EJR. Advances in non-hormonal male contraception targeting sperm motility. Hum Reprod Update 2023; 29:545-569. [PMID: 37141450 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmad008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The high rates of unintended pregnancy and the ever-growing world population impose health, economic, social, and environmental threats to countries. Expanding contraceptive options, including male methods, are urgently needed to tackle these global challenges. Male contraception is limited to condoms and vasectomy, which are unsuitable for many couples. Thus, novel male contraceptive methods may reduce unintended pregnancies, meet the contraceptive needs of couples, and foster gender equality in carrying the contraceptive burden. In this regard, the spermatozoon emerges as a source of druggable targets for on-demand, non-hormonal male contraception based on disrupting sperm motility or fertilization. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE A better understanding of the molecules governing sperm motility can lead to innovative approaches toward safe and effective male contraceptives. This review discusses cutting-edge knowledge on sperm-specific targets for male contraception, focusing on those with crucial roles in sperm motility. We also highlight challenges and opportunities in male contraceptive drug development targeting spermatozoa. SEARCH METHODS We conducted a literature search in the PubMed database using the following keywords: 'spermatozoa', 'sperm motility', 'male contraception', and 'drug targets' in combination with other related terms to the field. Publications until January 2023 written in English were considered. OUTCOMES Efforts for developing non-hormonal strategies for male contraception resulted in the identification of candidates specifically expressed or enriched in spermatozoa, including enzymes (PP1γ2, GAPDHS, and sAC), ion channels (CatSper and KSper), transmembrane transporters (sNHE, SLC26A8, and ATP1A4), and surface proteins (EPPIN). These targets are usually located in the sperm flagellum. Their indispensable roles in sperm motility and male fertility were confirmed by genetic or immunological approaches using animal models and gene mutations associated with male infertility due to sperm defects in humans. Their druggability was demonstrated by the identification of drug-like small organic ligands displaying spermiostatic activity in preclinical trials. WIDER IMPLICATIONS A wide range of sperm-associated proteins has arisen as key regulators of sperm motility, providing compelling druggable candidates for male contraception. Nevertheless, no pharmacological agent has reached clinical developmental stages. One reason is the slow progress in translating the preclinical and drug discovery findings into a drug-like candidate adequate for clinical development. Thus, intense collaboration among academia, private sectors, governments, and regulatory agencies will be crucial to combine expertise for the development of male contraceptives targeting sperm function by (i) improving target structural characterization and the design of highly selective ligands, (ii) conducting long-term preclinical safety, efficacy, and reversibility evaluation, and (iii) establishing rigorous guidelines and endpoints for clinical trials and regulatory evaluation, thus allowing their testing in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemia A P Mariani
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Joana V Silva
- Department of Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
- QOPNA & LAQV, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
- Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Margarida Fardilha
- Department of Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Erick J R Silva
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
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Fu M. Drug discovery from traditional Chinese herbal medicine using high content imaging technology. JOURNAL OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICAL SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcms.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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Berdigaliyev N, Aljofan M. An overview of drug discovery and development. Future Med Chem 2020; 12:939-947. [PMID: 32270704 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2019-0307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A new medicine will take an average of 10-15 years and more than US$2 billion before it can reach the pharmacy shelf. Traditionally, drug discovery relied on natural products as the main source of new drug entities, but was later shifted toward high-throughput synthesis and combinatorial chemistry-based development. New technologies such as ultra-high-throughput drug screening and artificial intelligence are being heavily employed to reduce the cost and the time of early drug discovery, but they remain relatively unchanged. However, are there other potentially faster and cheaper means of drug discovery? Is drug repurposing a viable alternative? In this review, we discuss the different means of drug discovery including their advantages and disadvantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurken Berdigaliyev
- Department of biomedical Science, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
| | - Mohamad Aljofan
- Department of biomedical Science, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
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Panepucci RA, de Souza Lima IM. Arrayed functional genetic screenings in pluripotency reprogramming and differentiation. Stem Cell Res Ther 2019; 10:24. [PMID: 30635073 PMCID: PMC6330485 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-018-1124-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Thoroughly understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the biological properties of pluripotent stem cells, as well as for the processes involved in reprograming, differentiation, and transition between Naïve and Primed pluripotent states, is of great interest in basic and applied research. Although pluripotent cells have been extensively characterized in terms of their transcriptome and miRNome, a comprehensive understanding of how these gene products specifically impact their biology, depends on gain- or loss-of-function experimental approaches capable to systematically interrogate their function. We review all studies carried up to date that used arrayed screening approaches to explore the function of these genetic elements on those biological contexts, using focused or genome-wide genetic libraries. We further discuss the limitations and advantages of approaches based on assays with population-level primary readouts, derived from single-parameter plate readers, or cell-level primary readouts, obtained using multiparametric flow cytometry or quantitative fluorescence microscopy (i.e., high-content screening). Finally, we discuss technical limitation and future perspectives, highlighting how the integration of screening data may lead to major advances in the field of stem cell research and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Alexandre Panepucci
- Laboratory of Functional Biology (LFBio), Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC), Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Rua Tenente Catão Roxo, 2501, Ribeirão Preto, SP CEP: 14051-140 Brazil
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
| | - Ildercílio Mota de Souza Lima
- Laboratory of Functional Biology (LFBio), Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC), Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Rua Tenente Catão Roxo, 2501, Ribeirão Preto, SP CEP: 14051-140 Brazil
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
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Barette C, Soleilhac E, Charavay C, Cochet C, Fauvarque MO. [Strength and specificity of the CMBA screening platform for bioactive molecules discovery]. Med Sci (Paris) 2015; 31:423-31. [PMID: 25958761 DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20153104017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Used as powerful chemical probes in Life science fundamental research, the application potential of new bioactive molecular entities includes but extends beyond their development as therapeutic drugs in pharmacology. In this review, we wish to point out the methodology of chemical libraries screening on living cells or purified proteins at the CMBA academic platform of Grenoble Alpes University, and strategies employed to further characterize the selected bioactive molecules by phenotypic profiling on human cells. Multiple application fields are concerned by the screening activity developed at CMBA with bioactive molecules previously selected for their potential as tools for fundamental research purpose, therapeutic candidates to treat cancer or infection, or promising compounds for production of bioenergy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Barette
- Université Grenoble Alpes ; CEA-Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de recherches en technologies et sciences pour le vivant, iRTSV-BGE-CMBA, CEA-Grenoble; Inserm UMRS_1038, 17, rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Emmanuelle Soleilhac
- Université Grenoble Alpes ; CEA-Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de recherches en technologies et sciences pour le vivant, iRTSV-BGE-CMBA, CEA-Grenoble; Inserm UMRS_1038, 17, rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Céline Charavay
- Université Grenoble Alpes ; CEA-Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de recherches en technologies et sciences pour le vivant, iRTSV-BGE-CMBA, CEA-Grenoble; Inserm UMRS_1038, 17, rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Claude Cochet
- Université Grenoble Alpes ; CEA-Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de recherches en technologies et sciences pour le vivant, BCI ; Inserm UMRS_1036, iRTSV-BCI-KIN, CEA-Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Marie-Odile Fauvarque
- Université Grenoble Alpes ; CEA-Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de recherches en technologies et sciences pour le vivant, iRTSV-BGE-CMBA, CEA-Grenoble; Inserm UMRS_1038, 17, rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
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Brodin P, DelNery E, Soleilhac E. [High content screening in chemical biology: overview and main challenges]. Med Sci (Paris) 2015; 31:187-96. [PMID: 25744266 DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20153102016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The last two decades have seen the development of high content screening (HCS) methodology and its adaptation for the evaluation of small molecules as drug candidates or their use as chemical tools for research purpose. HCS was initially set-up for the understanding of the mechanism of action of compounds by testing them on cell based-assays for pharmacological and toxicological studies. Since the last decade, the use of HCS has been extended to academic research laboratories and this technology has become the starting point for numerous projects aiming at the identification of molecular targets and cellular pathways for a given disease on which novel type of drugs could act. This screening approach relies on image capture of fluorescently labeled cells therefore generating a large amount of data that must be handled by appropriate automated image analysis methods and storage instrumentation. These latter in addition to the integration and data sharing are current challenges that HCS must still tackle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscille Brodin
- Inserm U1019, CNRS UMR8204, université de Lille-Nord de France, institut Pasteur de Lille, centre pour l'infection et l'immunité, 1, rue du professeur Calmette, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Elaine DelNery
- Institut Curie, centre de recherche, département de recherche translationnelle, 26, rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Soleilhac
- Université Grenoble Alpes, institut de recherches en technologies et sciences pour le vivant (iRTSV) -biologie à grande échelle (BGE), 38000 Grenoble, France - CEA, iRTSV (Institut de recherches en technologies et sciences pour le vivant) - BGE (biologie à grande échelle) - criblages de molécules bioactives (CMBA), 38000 Grenoble, France - Inserm, BGE, 38000 Grenoble, France
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Prudent R, Soleilhac E, Barette C, Fauvarque MO, Lafanechère L. Les criblages phénotypiques ou comment faire d’une pierre deux coups. Med Sci (Paris) 2013; 29:897-905. [DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20132910018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Renaud Prudent
- Institut Albert Bonniot, CRI Inserm/Université Joseph Fourier (UJF) U823, équipe 3 Polarité, développement et cancer, rond-point de la Chantourne, 38706 La Tronche Cedex, France
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Yang T, Shen DP, Wang QL, Tao YY, Liu CH. Investigation of the absorbed and metabolized components of Danshen from Fuzheng Huayu recipe and study on the anti-hepatic fibrosis effects of these components. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2013; 148:691-700. [PMID: 23707207 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Revised: 05/04/2013] [Accepted: 05/08/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY Fuzheng Huayu recipe (FZHY) was formulated on the basis of Chinese medicine theory in treating liver fibrosis. It has a significant efficacy against liver fibrosis caused by chronic hepatitis B, with the action mechanisms of inhibition of hepatic stellate cell activation, protection of hepatocyte oxidative injury and regulations of hepatic matrix remodeling etc. AIM OF THE STUDY To identify the absorbed components and metabolites of Danshen in FZHY in rat serum, and find their active components for anti-liver fibrosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS A valid high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI/MS(n)) method was established to investigate the absorbed and metabolized compounds of Danshen in FZHY in rat serum after oral administration. Mass spectra were acquired in both negative and positive modes. Otherwise, to evaluate the anti-hepatic fibrosis efficacies of absorbed and metabolized compounds, the LX-2 cell line of hepatic stellate cell (HSC), which was crucial cellular basis of fibrogenesis, was cultured and incubated with absorbed compounds, the cytotoxicity was determined with the cellomics Multiparameter Cytotoxicity Kit 1 by High Content Screening (HCS), the cell proliferation was assayed with EdU-DNA incorporation, and the cell activation was analyzed through α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression with high content screening technology. RESULTS More than 11 compounds and 2 metabolites from Danshen were identified in the serum after oral administration of FZHY by comparing their mass spectra and retention behavior with reference compounds or literature data. Among these compounds, there were no obvious changes in nuclear morphology, membrane permeability with blow 96 μM of six polar compounds treatment in comparison with control cells, respectively. And the salvianolic acid B (6 μM, 48 μM), caffeic acid (6 μM, 48 μM) and rosmarinic acid (48 μM) could obviously inhibit LX-2 cells proliferation, down-regulate α-SMA expression. CONCLUSION The results proved that the established method could be applied to analyze the absorbed into blood compounds of Danshen after oral administration FZHY. These absorbed compounds included 11 compounds and 2 metabolites of Danshen. Among them, the salvianolic acid B, caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid were the effective components of FZHY to anti-hepatic fibrosis effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Yang
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Shuguang Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 528 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, China
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Kell DB. Finding novel pharmaceuticals in the systems biology era using multiple effective drug targets, phenotypic screening and knowledge of transporters: where drug discovery went wrong and how to fix it. FEBS J 2013; 280:5957-80. [PMID: 23552054 DOI: 10.1111/febs.12268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2013] [Revised: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite the sequencing of the human genome, the rate of innovative and successful drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry has continued to decrease. Leaving aside regulatory matters, the fundamental and interlinked intellectual issues proposed to be largely responsible for this are: (a) the move from 'function-first' to 'target-first' methods of screening and drug discovery; (b) the belief that successful drugs should and do interact solely with single, individual targets, despite natural evolution's selection for biochemical networks that are robust to individual parameter changes; (c) an over-reliance on the rule-of-5 to constrain biophysical and chemical properties of drug libraries; (d) the general abandoning of natural products that do not obey the rule-of-5; (e) an incorrect belief that drugs diffuse passively into (and presumably out of) cells across the bilayers portions of membranes, according to their lipophilicity; (f) a widespread failure to recognize the overwhelmingly important role of proteinaceous transporters, as well as their expression profiles, in determining drug distribution in and between different tissues and individual patients; and (g) the general failure to use engineering principles to model biology in parallel with performing 'wet' experiments, such that 'what if?' experiments can be performed in silico to assess the likely success of any strategy. These facts/ideas are illustrated with a reasonably extensive literature review. Success in turning round drug discovery consequently requires: (a) decent systems biology models of human biochemical networks; (b) the use of these (iteratively with experiments) to model how drugs need to interact with multiple targets to have substantive effects on the phenotype; (c) the adoption of polypharmacology and/or cocktails of drugs as a desirable goal in itself; (d) the incorporation of drug transporters into systems biology models, en route to full and multiscale systems biology models that incorporate drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion; (e) a return to 'function-first' or phenotypic screening; and (f) novel methods for inferring modes of action by measuring the properties on system variables at all levels of the 'omes. Such a strategy offers the opportunity of achieving a state where we can hope to predict biological processes and the effect of pharmaceutical agents upon them. Consequently, this should both lower attrition rates and raise the rates of discovery of effective drugs substantially.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas B Kell
- School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, UK; Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, UK
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Lim D, Park SB. Synthesis of Molecular Frameworks Containing Two Distinct Heterocycles Connected in a Single Molecule with Enhanced Three-Dimensional Shape Diversity. Chemistry 2013; 19:7100-8. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201204293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Revised: 02/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Cheong R, Paliwal S, Levchenko A. High-content screening in microfluidic devices. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2012; 5:715-20. [PMID: 21852997 DOI: 10.1517/17460441.2010.495116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD Miniaturization is the key to advancing the state of the art in high-content screening (HCS) in order to enable dramatic cost savings through reduced usage of expensive biochemical reagents and to enable large-scale screening on primary cells. Microfluidic technology offers the potential to enable HCS to be performed with an unprecedented degree of miniaturization. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW This perspective highlights a real-world example from the authors’ work of HCS assays implemented in a highly miniaturized microfluidic format. The advantages of this technology are discussed, including cost savings, high-throughput screening on primary cells, improved accuracy, the ability to study complex time-varying stimuli, and ease of automation, integration and scaling. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN The reader will understand the capabilities of anew microfluidics-based platform for HCS and the advantages it provides over conventional plate-based HCS. TAKE HOME MESSAGE Microfluidics technology will drive significant advancements and broader usage and applicability of HCS in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond Cheong
- Johns Hopkins University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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Lo E, Soleilhac E, Martinez A, Lafanechère L, Nadon R. Intensity quantile estimation and mapping--a novel algorithm for the correction of image non-uniformity bias in HCS data. Bioinformatics 2012; 28:2632-9. [PMID: 22914219 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bts491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Image non-uniformity (NU) refers to systematic, slowly varying spatial gradients in images that result in a bias that can affect all downstream image processing, quantification and statistical analysis steps. Image NU is poorly modeled in the field of high-content screening (HCS), however, such that current conventional correction algorithms may be either inappropriate for HCS or fail to take advantage of the information available in HCS image data. RESULTS A novel image NU bias correction algorithm, termed intensity quantile estimation and mapping (IQEM), is described. The algorithm estimates the full non-linear form of the image NU bias by mapping pixel intensities to a reference intensity quantile function. IQEM accounts for the variation in NU bias over broad cell intensity ranges and data acquisition times, both of which are characteristic of HCS image datasets. Validation of the method, using simulated and HCS microtubule polymerization screen images, is presented. Two requirements of IQEM are that the dataset consists of large numbers of images acquired under identical conditions and that cells are distributed with no within-image spatial preference. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION MATLAB function files are available at http://nadon-mugqic.mcgill.ca/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest Lo
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Burford NT, Watson J, Bertekap R, Alt A. Strategies for the identification of allosteric modulators of G-protein-coupled receptors. Biochem Pharmacol 2011; 81:691-702. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2010.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2010] [Revised: 12/09/2010] [Accepted: 12/10/2010] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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