PhD Defence Yuandi Zhao

Keywords: Drug discovery, mass spectrometry, surface plasmon resonance, analytical chemistry 
 

"Multimodal Analytical Strategies in Drug Discovery"

The early phase of drug discovery includes target identification, lead finding, and lead optimization. A thorough evaluation of molecular physicochemical properties, such as binding kinetics, acute toxicity and efficacy, plays a pivotal role in the drug development process. Beyond molecular assessments, methodological innovations have significantly advanced the exploration of lead compound discovery and target-ligand interactions. These innovations not only enable the identification of promising drug candidates but also deepen our understanding of fundamental biological processes and pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies. Over decades, advanced technologies, such as mass spectrometry (MS), tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), liquid chromatography (LC), and surface plasmon resonance (SPR), have been widely used in the studies of lead compounds and target-ligand interactions. This thesis focuses on the integration of these advanced technologies mentioned above and their application in drug discovery. 

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