The drug candidates that make it through Phase 2 will then be lab-tested.

But even after a drug candidate is found, years of work remain.

A single radioligand can be used this way to test many potential drug candidates for the same target.

This process is referred to as Docking the drug candidate to the target.

This makes it a possible drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Foretinib is an experimental drug candidate for the treatment of cancer.

At the same time, though, many large makers of pharmaceuticals lack new drug candidates.

Several drug candidates in this series have progress into clinical trials.

Their website states they hope to have at least two drug candidates going through clinical trials in patients by the year 2012.

Such a result would indicate that the chemical is a possible drug candidate.