PriMera Scientific Medicine and Public Health (ISSN: 2833-5627)

Research Article

Volume 9 Issue 1

Emerging Biological Targets: Kinases, Proteases, Ion Channels & Parasite-Specific Metabolic Pathways

Shoheb Shaikh*, Vishal Pande and Ashish Alte

July 08, 2026

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Abstract

The continuous emergence of drug resistance, limitations of conventional therapeutics, and the growing burden of infectious and chronic diseases have intensified the search for novel biological targets in medicinal chemistry. Emerging biological targets such as kinases, proteases, ion channels, and parasite-specific metabolic pathways have gained substantial attention due to their pivotal roles in cellular signaling, pathogen survival, and disease progression. Protein kinases regulate numerous intracellular pathways associated with cancer, inflammatory disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, making them attractive targets for selective therapeutic intervention. Proteases are involved in viral replication, tumor metastasis, apoptosis, and microbial virulence, thereby offering opportunities for the development of protease inhibitors with broad clinical applications. Ion channels represent crucial membrane proteins that regulate electrical signaling, neurotransmission, and ion homeostasis, and their dysregulation has been implicated in cardiovascular, neurological, and metabolic disorders. In parasitic diseases, pathogen-specific metabolic pathways provide selective drug targets with minimal host toxicity, especially in malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis. This mini-review highlights recent advances in the identification and therapeutic exploitation of these emerging targets, discusses current challenges associated with selectivity and resistance, and summarizes modern strategies including structure-based drug design, computational modeling, and nanotechnology-assisted delivery systems. The review underscores the importance of integrating molecular biology, medicinal chemistry, and artificial intelligence-driven approaches to accelerate the discovery of safer and more effective therapeutics.

Keywords: Kinases; Proteases; Ion Channels; Parasite-Specific Pathways; Drug Discovery; Medicinal Chemistry; Targeted Therapeutics

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