A compound that exhibits pharmacological properties which suggest its value as a starting point for drug development.
A candidate compound identified as the best "hit" (tight binder) after screening of a combinatorial (or other) compound library, that is then taken into further rounds of screening to determine its suitability as a drug.
A peptide or small molecule that optimally modulates the activity of a receptor or other target protein. A successful lead compound becomes a drug candidate for further development.
a compound that has the desired activity in vitro and in relevant animal models.
A molecule, usually a small one, that pharmaceutical researchers use as the basis for a drug. Often, the lead compound shows some of the desired biological activity, but it must be chemically altered to enhance this activity and to make the molecule safe and effective for delivery as a drug.
in pre-clinical trials and clinical trials, a potential drug being tested for safety and efficacy.
Compound that could potentially be converted to a new drug by optimizing its beneficial effects and minimizing its toxicity and side effects. Identifying lead compounds (typically by high-throughput screening) is the first step in the drug discovery process once a useful therapeutic target has been identified and validated through genomics and pharmacology.
Lead Discovery Lead Optimization
