lead compound

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ONC-004763",
  "term": "lead compound",
  "field": "Oncology and biomedicine",
  "definition": "In medicine, a chemical compound that shows promise as a treatment for a disease and may lead to the development of a new drug. Thousands of compounds are tested in the laboratory to find a lead (“leading”) compound that may act on specific genes or proteins involved in a disease. Once a lead compound has been found, the chemical structure is used as a starting point to make a drug that has the most benefits and the least harms. Finding a lead compound is the first step in making a new drug to treat a disease.",
  "references": [
    "NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/oncology/lead-compound/"
}