Orphan receptors, novel neuropeptides and reverse pharmaceutical research.

By the beginning of the next millennium, the search for the natural ligands of the orphan G-protein-coupled receptors will lead to the discovery of so many new neuropeptides that it may well double their present number. This bounty of new tools will direct us to new insights in brain function and to better understanding of brain disorders. It is expected that the novel neuropeptides will have a particular impact on molecular psychiatry. In view of their potential, the novel neuropeptides should also become the focus of drug discovery programs. It is hoped that these programs will be initiated at an early stage, when understanding of novel neuropeptide function has not necessarily been reached, to allow for the design of neuropeptide chemical surrogates that are crucial to the study of the novel neuropeptide system and may serendipitously develop into highly successful drugs.