Thinking about the term "technology", the image of a drug is perhaps not among the very first to come to mind.Just as, thinking of a drug, by association we probably think of a laboratory with test tubes and microscopes, or a lab coat, rather than a computer.Yet, if by technology we mean - in a very general sense - the application and use of everything that can be functional to the solution of practical problems, or even - in a more restricted sense - the translation of scientific knowledge into "useful things" more advanced, a drug is definitely a technological product.Indeed, the technology that leads to the conception and development of our medicines is undoubtedly among the most advanced and includes an important, indeed now fundamental, IT component.But how does the design of a drug start and how does it work?What in technical language is called drug design is a very complex activity, which involves a long and intensive research process.Generally, the starting point is an epidemiological study, that is, a number - as high as possible - of people affected by a disease is examined and the symptoms that all or almost all of them present are looked for.Then we try to understand what happened "inside" these people, what alterations have occurred in the molecular mechanisms of their cells.In other words, we try to identify the molecular "target" of our potential drug, for example an altered protein in a particular type of tumor.Once the target has been identified, the question becomes similar to the games with holes and shapes of different types that younger children are passionate about, only on an infinitely smaller and more complex scale: it is a question of finding the molecule that best "fits" with the target.To arrive at this molecule, the study of the target itself is first of all deepened.The resulting information allows the development of the first test compounds, whose ability to bind with its own receptor is tested with the aim of identifying those with the greatest pharmacological potential, which are defined as "lead compounds" (in jargon technician let's talk about lead compounds).Identifying a lead compound typically requires preparing and analyzing a large number of compounds, even in the tens of thousands if high-performance screening techniques are employed.In addition, the lead compounds are in turn used to generate new active molecules, which are further tested on cells in vitro and modified in order to improve their ability to interact with their target.The continuous generation of compounds of potential pharmacological interest proceeds up to the identification of a small number of "ideal" candidates, usually less than five, which are finally sent to in vivo tests and, if positive, to those on humans.In the various phases of molecule generation, in particular in the screening phase, the contribution of a "microscope" or if we want a particular "laboratory" is increasingly crucial: the computer.Thanks to the computing power available today and the refinement of the algorithms that we can program today, we are in fact able to create very precise virtual reconstructions of the molecules and - what interests us most - of the interaction between the molecules.In other words, we simulate on the computer what can be - or can be - the effect of a medicine, and this before the experiments that will then be carried out in the laboratory, on animals and possibly also on humans.Having this "virtual microscope" through which we can "visualize" biological processes with a "super zoom", and this "virtual laboratory" in which we can do "computational tests" of a potential drug, allows us to select much more quickly and the most promising pharmacological compounds are cheaper, thus allowing to design more targeted in vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as to reduce the number of those needed.Using another similarity with the world of games, we can say, with some simplification, that the computer helps us to quickly examine all the numerous "pieces" of a very complicated "puzzle" and to identify those that could best fit where we have them. need.Identify between existing or already hypothesized pieces, as well as "draw" new ones.With our algorithms we can in fact decide which target to "attack" and try to delineate the physico-chemical characteristics of new molecules aimed at that precise target.That of "computer-designed" molecules is an important, albeit little known, way of developing new drugs that has already led to concrete results, that is, to drugs that are on the market.I mention only a few: Captopril, Enalapril and other anti-hypertensive drugs, Dorzolamide, Nelfinavir, Squinavir.Naturally, the classic system also continues, which has always been used to create new drugs, which is to start from molecules already present in nature, on land or in the sea (molecules produced by plants, or by bacteria, or by organisms living in depths of the oceans ...), and see if they can be useful for treating a certain disease.Here too, as mentioned, the aid of the computer.In addition to the selection or "design" let's say "ad hoc" of potential drugs for a specific disease or disorder, computational simulations - our "virtual" microscope and laboratory - are also useful for the so-called drug repositioning, or an operation by which a drug changes "destination" as it proves effective or even more effective for pursuing other purposes than those for which it was originally developed.An approach that has the advantage of significantly shortening the time required to authorize its clinical use, since its side effects and safety are already known.Again, which is not particularly new: without bothering with Coca-Cola, probably one of the most famous and even the most extreme cases of "repositioning" of a medicine (from drug to drink), we can think of other examples with aspirin , used as an anti-inflammatory and now widely used also as an antiplatelet agent, or methotrexate, used as an anticancer and today also in autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.It should also be borne in mind that the mechanism of action of many medicines is not well known, or only partially known.We only know, empirically, that they work.For example, it is known that paracetamol, one of the active ingredients most used in daily clinical practice as an analgesic and antipyretic, acts on an enzyme called cyclooxygenase.But it is possible that it also has other targets (other proteins).We should find out which ones, however, and research of this type becomes possible through computer simulations in much faster times and at lower costs than traditional systems.Therefore, compared to drug repositioning, what is new is the how: thanks to its ability to cross large amounts of data with the calculation, computational pharmacology offers the possibility of making a qualitative leap, obtaining solid data on the potential efficacy of an existing drug against for example a new virus.At USI we carried out a research project that aimed precisely at identifying which of the medicines and supplements already on the market could be candidates to be "tested" against SARS-CoV-2.Scientific research advances every day to make computational techniques - algorithms and protocols - that are applied to molecular dynamics and drug design even faster, more efficient and effective.With my research group we work in particular on simulation methods that are at the same time applicable in every context and adaptable to the specific case of application, and that go beyond the historical vision of the interaction between a drug and its target such as - static - between a "key" and its "lock", in favor of a more dynamic and comprehensive description of what is actually a "dance" between molecules.Of course, we do not have the absolute certainty that the new molecules selected through computational simulations can really get to work, but we certainly increase the chances of success and also prepare the ground for new promising prospects, such as those in the field of personalized medicine, thanks precisely to the increase in the ability to analyze and test drugs made possible by virtual reconstructions and to the possibility of applying this ability, with reduced times, in the design of drugs "calibrated" on the individual.We are aware that the development of a new drug always remains, so to speak, an obstacle course.A recent study showed that only 6% of drugs in clinical trials make it to the final stage and be placed on the market.At each step, the drug candidate can fall, even after it has been placed on the market.What we try to do is to keep our feet on the ground without giving up looking up, putting all our efforts to help improve our pharmacological skills as much as possible, to try to get to the drug as soon as possible - the duration the average of studies for the development of a new medicine is now around 10-11 years old - and to open up new horizons in the fight against old and new diseases.Thinking about the term "technology", the image of a drug is perhaps not among the very first to come to mind.Just as, thinking of a drug, by association we probably think of a laboratory with test tubes and microscopes, or a lab coat, rather than a computer.Yet, if by technology we mean - in a very general sense - the application and use of everything that can be functional to the solution of practical problems, or even - in a more restricted sense - the translation of scientific knowledge into "useful things" more advanced, a drug is definitely a technological product.Indeed, the technology that leads to the conception and development of our medicines is undoubtedly among the most advanced and includes an important, indeed now fundamental, IT component.