Tools and techniques
Discover tools and techniques supporting modern drug discovery, including assays, biomarkers, sequencing, molecular modelling, analytical technologies and translational research methods that improve target validation, therapeutic development, data generation and scientific decision-making.
Tools and techniques
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Tools and techniques
ReportContext is everything: how spatial biology is changing our understanding of disease
Researchers can now analyse individual cells in extraordinary detail, yet understanding disease often requires more than studying cells in isolation. This report explores how spatial biology is revealing aspects of disease biology that cannot be captured through individual cells alone, and what that could mean for biomarker discovery, immunotherapy and drug development.
ArticleFlow-based human tumour models reveal immune responses missed by static culture
Static cultures may not tell the whole story when it comes to immunotherapy performance. Results from the Mera™ flow-based human tissue model show stronger T-cell activity and cytokine responses under physiological flow, highlighting the role of dynamic immune–tumour interactions in preclinical testing.
ArticlePomegranate-derived compound shows therapeutic potential in heart disease
Researchers at Cardiff University have identified urolithin A – a compound produced by gut bacteria during the metabolism of substances found in pomegranates – as a potential new approach for treating cardiovascular disease.
ArticleAACR 2026 part two: integrating AI, spatial biology and next-gen therapeutics
In part two of our AACR 2026 coverage, industry leaders were focussed on how the field is no longer constrained by data generation or molecular design, but by the challenge of connecting systems, standardising workflows and ensuring biological insights.
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ArticleWhy targeted therapies are exposing the limits of animal models – and what comes next
Traditional preclinical models are struggling to keep pace with a new generation of targeted therapies. As regulators embrace new approach methodologies (NAMs), vascularised tissue platforms are offering a more human-relevant approach to predicting drug efficacy and safety.
ArticleMachine learning identifies biological signals linked to emotional hunger
Researchers at Phenomix Sciences are using machine learning and genetic risk scoring to investigate emotional hunger, an obesity phenotype linked to emotional and reward-driven eating behaviours. Dr Timothy O’Connor discusses how the approach could improve patient stratification, obesity research and treatment selection.
ArticleBeyond tangles: why soluble intracellular tau should guide drug discovery
Tau tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, but evidence suggests the real damage may come from rare, soluble tau species inside neurons. Targeting these hidden drivers of circuit dysfunction could be key to restoring memory and cognition.
ArticleWhy AI models need patient data to deliver in drug discovery
Despite rapid advances in AI, many drug discovery models still struggle to translate computational predictions into clinical outcomes. Thomas Clozel explains how Owkin is training AI on large-scale patient-derived data while integrating experimental and clinical validation directly into model development.
ArticleWhen antibiotics are not enough: the case for immune-engaging therapies
As antimicrobial resistance grows and patient populations become more complex, the limitations of antibiotics are becoming harder to ignore. Dr Helen Bright, CSO at Centauri Therapeutics, discusses a new approach that targets both the pathogen and the host.
ArticleAACR 2026 part one: AI design, precision biology and the next wave of oncology innovation
At AACR 2026, industry leaders discussed how oncology R&D is moving beyond isolated technological advances towards integrated discovery systems.
ArticleOne sample. One shot. The pressure on sample preparation in drug discovery
In drug discovery, a failed sample run is not just a setback – it can mean months of lost work and significant cost. At Analytica 2026, three Eppendorf experts explain how the right tools, workflows and mindset are changing that.
ArticleWhen scale meets insight: reinventing SPR for the future of drug discovery
Carterra’s new 48-channel SPR platform reimagines throughput, automation and data quality for modern discovery workflows.
ArticleWhy lower organisms matter for neurodegeneration drug discovery
In the wake of recent government policy aimed at actively replacing animal models in drug discovery, we consider a possible solution to the translational shortfalls of current cellular methodologies for neurodegenerative disease.
ArticleAnalytica 2026: Connecting data across drug discovery workflows
Drug discovery is generating more data than ever, but the challenge is making sure that data is reliable, connected and usable. At Analytica 2026 in Munich, Drug Target Review spoke with technology developers and industry leaders across the exhibition floor to understand how these challenges are being addressed.
ArticleAI builds dual-action cancer drug targeting PKMYT1
Research published in Nature Communications shows how generative AI can be used to design complex dual-action cancer drug candidates. Insilico Medicine has developed a PKMYT1 degrader that both eliminates the target protein and blocks its activity, demonstrating the growing role of AI in advanced drug discovery.
ArticleImproving selectivity in antibody–drug conjugates
Promatix Biosciences is developing a new generation of bispecific antibody–drug conjugates using proprietary membrane proteomics data to identify highly selective target pairings. CEO Dr Michael Hunter explains how the company’s TXPro database enables discovery of previously unexplored tumour biology to improve therapeutic index and reduce on-target/off-tumour toxicities in solid tumours.
ArticleTurning CRISPR hits into confident drug discovery decisions
Functional genomics is central to modern drug discovery, yet high attrition rates persist. In this article, Dr Salman Tamaddon-Jahromi, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge, discusses how end-to-end CRISPR screening strategies, iPSC-derived neuronal models and layered quality control can convert functional genomics signals into actionable therapeutic hypotheses.
ReportOrganoids and Organ Chips: Improving Decision-Making in Early Drug Discovery
Traditional preclinical models do not always predict what will happen in patients. This report explores how organoids, organ-on-chip systems and advanced imaging are being used to generate more clinically relevant insights and support better decision-making earlier in drug discovery.
ArticleThe scale divide: competing strategies in AI drug discovery
Two approaches to AI in preclinical drug discovery are diverging, from multi-thousand GPU systems to models with only a handful of parameters, with early results raising questions about which will deliver.
ArticleBeyond serendipity: rational design and AI’s expansion of the undruggable target landscape
For decades, drugging the ‘undruggable’ was thought to require luck rather than logic. Today, AI is transforming serendipity into strategy by enabling rational, data-driven approaches to previously inaccessible targets.