The methods described herein enable the evaluation of compounds on subjects to assess their therapeutic efficacy or toxic effects. The target of analysis is the underlying biochemical process or processes (i.e., metabolic process) thought to be involved in disease pathogenesis. Molecular flux rates within the one or more biochemical processes serve as biomarkers and are quantitated and compared with the molecular flux rates (i.e., biomarker) from control subjects (i.e., subjects not exposed to the compounds). Any change in the biomarker in the subject relative to the biomarker in the control subject provides the necessary information to evaluate therapeutic efficacy of an administered drug or a toxic effect and to develop the compound further if desired. In one aspect of the invention, stable isotope-labeled substrate molecules are administered to a subject and the label is incorporated into targeted molecules in a manner that reveals molecular flux rates through one or more metabolic pathways of interest. By this method, a comparison between subjects and control subjects reveals the effects of the chemical entity or entities on the biomarkers. This, in turn, allows for the identification of potential therapeutic uses or toxicities of the compound. Combinations of compounds can also be systematically evaluated for complementary, synergistic, or antagonistic actions on the metabolic pathways of interest, using the methods of the present invention as a strategy for identifying and confirming novel therapeutic or toxic combinations of compounds.
本文所述方法可对受试者的化合物进行评价,以评估其疗效或毒性作用。分析目标是被认为与疾病发病机制有关的一个或多个基本生化过程(即代谢过程)。一个或多个生化过程中的分子通量率可作为
生物标志物,并与对照受试者(即未接触化合物的受试者)的分子通量率(即
生物标志物)进行量化和比较。受试者体内的
生物标志物相对于对照受试者体内的
生物标志物的任何变化,都可为评估给药的疗效或毒性效应提供必要的信息,并在需要时进一步开发化合物。在本发明的一个方面,给受试者施用稳定同位素标记的底物分子,并以揭示通过一条或多条相关代谢途径的分子通量速率的方式将标记结合到靶分子中。通过这种方法,受试者与对照受试者之间的比较可以揭示
化学实体对
生物标志物的影响。这反过来又可以确定化合物的潜在治疗用途或毒性。还可以使用本发明的方法系统地评估化合物组合对相关代谢途径的互补、协同或拮抗作用,以此作为识别和确认新型治疗或毒性化合物组合的策略。