Integration not isolation: arguing the case for quantitative and systems pharmacology in drug discovery and development

Quantitative and systems pharmacology (QSP) is an emerging modelling technique that combines the flexibility of systems biology and tractability of compartmental pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modelling techniques. Historically, there has been extensive use of QSP within the field of pharmacokinetics to optimise drug biopharmaceutical properties. However, application to target and biomarker selection, and design of preclinical and clinical studies is limited, but growing rapidly. In this article we highlight the impact of QSP within drug discovery and development by citing examples from within the field of pharmacology and we argue for a more systematic integration of QSP within the drug discovery and development paradigm.