Application of high-throughput, molecular-targeted screening to anticancer drug discovery.

Increasing insight into the genetics and molecular biology of cancer has resulted in the identification of an increasing number of potential molecular targets for anti-cancer drug discovery and development. These targets can be approached through exploitation of emerging structural biology, "rational" drug design, screening of chemical libraries, or a combination of these methods. In this article we discuss the application of high-throughput screening to anti-cancer drug discovery, with special reference to approaches used at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.