Determining the potential toxicity of compounds early in the drug discovery
process can be extremely beneficial in terms of both time and money conser
vation. Because of the speed of modern chemical synthesis and screening, to
accurately evaluate the large number of compounds being produced, toxicolo
gy assays must have both high-fidelity and high-throughput capabilities. In
addition, assays must be performed using Limited amounts of compound. In t
he past decade, several new and innovative techniques have been developed t
hat not only allow for high-throughput screening but can also provide detai
led information concerning the molecular mechanisms behind toxic effects. T
echniques such as hybridization microarrays, real-time polymerase chain rea
ction, and large-scale sequencing are some of the methods that have been or
are starting to be used routinely in pharmaceutical companies. This review
examines the contributions of these and related techniques toward toxicity
evaluation of potential drug candidates and their future role in the disco
very of new therapeutics.