chemistry

TDR Targets

TDR Targets is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand TDR Targets rather than just read about it. In short: The TDR Targets database is a bioinformatics project that seeks to exploit the availability of diverse genomic and chemical datasets to facilitate the identification and prioritization of drugs and drug targets in neglected disease pathogens. TDR in the name of the database stands from the popular abbreviation for a special programme within the World Health Organization, whose focus is Tropical Disease Research.

Key takeaways

TDR Targets belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect TDR Targets to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of TDR Targets from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The TDR Targets database is a bioinformatics project that seeks to exploit the availability of diverse genomic and chemical datasets to facilitate the identification and prioritization of drugs and drug targets in neglected disease pathogens. TDR in the name of the database stands from the popular abbreviation for a special programme within the World Health Organization, whose focus is Tropical Disease Research. The project was jumpstarted by funds from this programme (see Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases), and the initial focus of the resource was on organisms/diseases of high priority for this Programme. The database functions both as a website, where researchers can look for information on targets or compounds of interest, or as a tool for prioritization of targets in whole genomes. When prioritizing genes, individual database queries are used to specify one or more desirable or undesirable criteria. The output of each query will be a set of genes (e.g. all genes that produce a lethal phenotype upon a genetic knockout); and different combinations of gene sets can be obtained using standard set operators (Union, Intersection, Subtraction), including the possibility of weighting genes present in more than one set (this is particularly useful when calculating Unions). A number of prioritizations obtained with this tool have been published, demonstrating a number of use cases. The database currently hosts information for 21 bacterial and eukaryotic pathogens, and for > 2 million bioactive compounds. Information integrated into the TDR Targets database comes from disparate data sources, and therefore cannot be considered a primary data repository. The database has seen six major releases since its launch in 2007, which coincided with expansion of phylogenetic coverage (e.g. inclusion of helminth genomes in release 2), incorporation of new functionalities (e.g. chemical similarity and substructure searches in release 4), major data updates to keep the database in sync with upstream data providers (in release 5), and the incorporation of a multilayer network model to guide Drug repositioning through nice user-friendly visualizations (in release 6).

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TDR Targets

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TDR Targets claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to TDR Targets before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about TDR Targets ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of TDR Targets

In research: TDR Targets appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses TDR Targets in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: TDR Targets is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biological databases, Chemical databases, Database stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for TDR Targets outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study TDR Targets in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what TDR Targets means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain TDR Targets out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is TDR Targets in simple terms?

Why does TDR Targets matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study TDR Targets?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on TDR Targets.