Multiple predicted and pathway-level targets

The term 'Multiple predicted and pathway-level targets' is a descriptive classification used in drug discovery to denote therapeutic agents that do not interact with a single, discrete molecular entity (Hopkins, A. L., Nature, 2008). Instead, these agents exert their biological effects by modulating entire signaling pathways or multiple predicted proteins simultaneously, a concept often referred to as polypharmacology (Guimaraes, C. R., et al., Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 2014). This designation is frequently applied to complex natural products, multi-kinase inhibitors, or drugs identified through phenotypic screening where the exact molecular 'trigger' is distributed across a network. While targeting multiple points in a pathway can enhance efficacy and reduce the likelihood of drug resistance, it complicates the characterization of the drug's safety and pharmacokinetic profile (Reddy, A. S. & Zhang, S., Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2013). In clinical and pharmacological databases, this entry serves as a placeholder to indicate that the therapeutic effect is systemic or pathway-centric rather than target-specific.

Other names

Pathway-level targetsPredicted targetsPolypharmacological targetsSystems-level targetsNetwork-based targets

The mechanism of action involves the simultaneous modulation of multiple nodes within a biological pathway or the interaction with several predicted molecular structures rather than a single defined target.