New Web-Based Tool to Accelerate Drug Discovery

SystemsDock, a new online research tool, has the potential to accelerate drug discovery, reduce the resources required for drug testing, and serve as an alternative method to using animals for testing. Unlike other online resources, which screen many potential drug candidates against a single target at a time, this free tool allows multiple drug candidates to be tested simultaneously against many biological “targets.” These targets can be triggered by a drug to lead to a desired effect, such as destruction of a cancer cell, or lead to harmful or even deadly side effects. The tool’s ability to provide a “map” of the human body with potential helpful and harmful effects simultaneously is extremely useful to researchers.