Chemical genetics: An evolving toolbox for target identification and lead optimization.

Chemical genetics combines chemistry with biology as a means of exploring the function of unknown proteins or identifying the proteins responsible for a particular phenotype. Chemical genetics is thus a valuable tool in the identification of novel drug targets. This chapter describes the application of chemical genetics in traditional and systems-based approaches to drug target discovery and the tools/approaches that appear most promising for guiding future pharmaceutical development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]