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Fig. 3 | Animal Diseases

Fig. 3

From: Current status and challenges in drug discovery against the globally important zoonotic cryptosporidiosis

Fig. 3

Illustration and brief annotation of drug discovery pipeline, major assays and models in target-based and phenotypic screening approaches. Yellow and green boxes indicate discovery and developmental phases. In both approaches, structure-activity relationship (SAR) and mode of action (MoA) analysis may be started shortly after hits are identified and extended to later stages. In the phenotypic screening approach, discovery of target by the identified hit may be needed for determining MoA. Biochemical assays and in vitro assays may be developed in the basic research phase and used throughout the discovery phase, and extended into the preclinical phase. Small animal models are used in discovery and preclinical phases, while large animal models are used in preclinical phase. For drug discovery against cryptosporidiosis, it’s critical to discover efficacious systemic drugs that can be effectively absorbed by human or animal patients and cross electron-dense (ED) band at the parasite-host cell interface, or non-systemic drugs that have sufficient gastrointestinal tract (GIT) exposure for acting on the epicellular parasite (as illustrated in Fig. 2)

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