Diseased cell

The term 'Diseased cell' refers to a general cellular entity in a pathological state rather than a specific molecular target such as a protein, receptor, or enzyme. In the context of pharmacology and drug discovery, a 'target' is traditionally defined as a discrete biological molecule whose activity can be modified by a drug to achieve a therapeutic effect [1, 3]. While 'Diseased cell' is often the object of therapeutic intent (e.g., in phenotypic screening or CAR T-cell therapy), it represents a complex biological system containing thousands of individual molecules, making it too non-specific to be classified as a singular target molecule [1, 4]. Modern drug development necessitates the identification of specific molecular aberrations—such as mutated kinases or overexpressed surface receptors—within these cells to ensure selective binding and minimize adverse effects on healthy tissues [3, 9]. Consequently, 'Diseased cell' is considered an incorrect or overly broad entry for a specific target molecule/receptor database.

Other names

Pathological cellAffected cellAbnormal cellTarget cell

Not applicable; this is a biological state/entity rather than a discrete molecular target.