Discussion

Phase II attrition remains the most important challenge for drug discovery. Tackling it requires improved understanding of the complexity of disease biology and the interaction with drug pharmacology. Systems Biology and Systems Pharmacology approaches to this problem can, in principle, deliver this insight. However, although we are arguably on the journey to the virtual human, the length, path and rate of learning from this remain an open question. Success will be dependent on the will to invest and make the most of the insight generated along the way. This talk will review reports of the application of mechanistic systems models to drug discovery questions and in particular target choice and validation. Examples of use cases in drug discovery projects will be described. The added value will be discussed, along with lessons learnt from application in an industrial context.