Virtual Screening: An Alternative or Complement to High Throughput Screening?
Virtual Screening: An Alternative or Complement to High Throughput Screening?

Author: Gerhard Klebe

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2007-05-08

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 0306468832

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In the next couple of years the human genome will be fully sequenced. This will provide us with the sequence and overall function of all human genes as well as the complete genome for many micro-organisms. Subsequently it is hoped, by means of powerful bioinformatic tools, to determine the gene variants that contribute to various multifactorial diseases and genes that exist in certain infectious agents but not humans. As a consequence, this will allow us to define the most appropriate levels for drug intervention. It can be expected that the number of potential drug targets will increase, possibly by a factor of 10 or more. Nevertheless, sequencing the human genome or, for that matter, the genome of other species will only be the starting point for the understanding of their biological function. Structural genomics is a likely follow-up, combined with new techniques to validate the therapeutic relevance of such newly discovered targets. Accordingly, it can be expected that in the near future we will witness a substantial increase in novel putative targets for drugs. To address these new targets effectively, we require new approaches and innovative tools. At present, two alternative, yet complementary, techniques are employed: experimental high-throughput screening (HTS) of large compound libraries, increasingly provided by combinatorial chemistry, and computational methods for virtual screening and de novo design. As kind of status report on the maturity of virtual screening as a technique in drug design, the first workshop on new approaches in drug design and discovery was held in March 1999, at Schloß Rauischholzhausen, near Marburg in Germany. More than 80 scientists gathered and discussed their experience with the different techniques. The speakers were invited to summarize their contributions together with their impressions on the present applicability of their approach. Several of the speakers followed this request which is summarized in this publication.

Alternatives for High-Level Waste Salt Processing at the Savannah River Site
Alternatives for High-Level Waste Salt Processing at the Savannah River Site

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2000-10-30

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13: 030917158X

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The Second World War introduced the world to nuclear weapons and their consequences. Behind the scene of these nuclear weapons and an aspect of their consequences is radioactive waste. Radioactive waste has varying degrees of harmfulness and poses a problem when it comes to storage and disposal. Radioactive waste is usually kept below ground in varying containers, which depend on how radioactive the waste it. High-level radioactive waste (HLW) can be stored in underground carbon-steel tanks. However, radioactive waste must also be further immobilized to ensure our safety. There are several sites in the United States where high-level radioactive waste (HLW) are stored; including the Savannah River Site (SRS), established in 1950 to produce plutonium and tritium isotopes for defense purposes. In order to further immobilize the radioactive waste at this site an in-tank precipitation (ITP) process is utilized. Through this method, the sludge portion of the tank wastes is being removed and immobilized in borosilicate glass for eventual disposal in a geological repository. As a result, a highly alkaline salt, present in both liquid and solid forms, is produced. The salt contains cesium, strontium, actinides such as plutonium and neptunium, and other radionuclides. But is this the best method? The National Research Council (NRC) has empanelled a committee, at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to provide an independent technical review of alternatives to the discontinued in-tank precipitation (ITP) process for treating the HLW stored in tanks at the SRS. Alternatives for High-Level Waste Salt Processing at the Savannah RIver Site summarizes the finding of the committee which sought to answer 4 questions including: "Was an appropriately comprehensive set of cesium partitioning alternatives identified and are there other alternatives that should be explored?" and "Are there significant barriers to the implementation of any of the preferred alternatives, taking into account their state of development and their ability to be integrated into the existing SRS HLW system?"

Epidemiology and Control of Notifiable Animal Diseases
Epidemiology and Control of Notifiable Animal Diseases

Author: Julio Álvarez

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Published: 2019-05-09

Total Pages: 133

ISBN-13: 2889458237

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Surveillance, early detection, control and eradication of notifiable animal diseases is of critical importance for countries in order to maintain or improve their animal health status. This requires the collaboration of all stakeholders involved including animal health authorities, livestock industry and veterinary research institutions among others. Prevention, control and eradication programs must take into account the characteristics of the host (including potential reservoirs), the pathogen (transmissibility, virulence…) and the environment (temperature, animal density…) but also the socio-economic context in which they have to be implemented (highly influenced by funding availability), while at the same time guaranteeing compliance with international trade regulations. This has led to the adoption of a wide range of approaches to address the risk posed by specific pathogens in different countries, and at the same time similar strategies have yielded very different results in different regions. This Research Topic includes a variety of manuscripts focusing on different aspects of surveillance, control and eradication of diseases of critical importance for livestock, including cattle, swine and wildlife, in an attempt to provide an overview of the current situation in different countries.