Modern drug development no longer relies on a more or less heuristic approach but typically involves the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying a disease or a condition, the identification of candidate target molecules and the evaluation of said target molecules. Once such a validated target molecule, which is herein referred to also as target, is available, drug candidates directed thereto may be tested. In many cases such drug candidates are members of a compound library which may consist of synthetic or natural compounds. Also the use of combinatorial libraries is common. Such compound libraries are herein also referred to as candidate compound libraries. Although in the past this approach has proven to be successful, it is still time and money consuming. A variety of technologies currently are applied for target identification and target validation.
Still, numerous tumours and cancers pose a significant threat to human health. In order to create safer and more powerful drugs having less side effects, it is necessary to identify target molecules which, upon being addressed by appropriate compounds, may specifically and selectively be influenced in their activity or presence. Because of the preferably selective and specific interaction between the compound, which may be a potential or candidate drug, and the target, the target's function in a disease or diseased condition such as, for example, cancer, tumorigenesis and metastasis, may be influenced and thus the disease treated or prevented and the diseased condition ameliorated.
It is apparent that new targets suitable for development of new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of tumorigenesis and cancer are greatly to be desired. It also is apparent that new methods of therapeutic intervention directed at those targets are greatly to be desired.