DrugBank

DrugBank is a comprehensive, high-quality, freely accessible, online database containing information on drugs and drug targets. As both a bioinformatics and a cheminformatics resource, DrugBank combines detailed drug (i.e. chemical, pharmacological and pharmaceutical) data with comprehensive drug target (i.e. sequence, structure, and pathway) information. The database is widely used by the drug industry, medicinal chemists, pharmacists, physicians, students and the general public. Its extensive drug and drug-target data has enabled the discovery and repurposing of a number of existing drugs to treat rare and newly identified illnesses.

Overview

DrugBank was first launched in 2006 at the University of Alberta, and has since been regularly updated and expanded. The database now contains detailed information on over 11,000 drug entries including more than 2,000 FDA-approved small molecule drugs, 1,000 FDA-approved biotech (protein/peptide) drugs, 130 nutraceuticals and over 6,000 experimental drugs.

Content

The DrugBank database provides a variety of information about drugs, including:

• Chemical Information: This includes the drug's chemical structure, formula, and molecular weight.
• Pharmacological Information: This includes the drug's mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics.
• Pharmaceutical Information: This includes the drug's dosage, form, and route of administration.
• Target Information: This includes the drug's known protein targets, their sequence, structure, and pathway.

Uses

DrugBank is widely used in the fields of drug discovery, medical research, and education. It is a valuable resource for researchers looking to understand the mechanisms of drug action, predict drug interactions, and explore potential drug repurposing opportunities. In addition, it is used by healthcare professionals and students to learn about the properties and uses of various drugs.

Access

DrugBank is freely accessible online and can be searched using various criteria, including drug name, chemical structure, mechanism of action, and target protein. The database also provides links to other relevant resources, such as PubMed for scientific literature and ClinicalTrials.gov for information on clinical trials involving the drug.

See Also

• PharmGKB
• KEGG
• ChEMBL
• PubChem
• ChemSpider