The Evolution of Drug Discovery: From Traditional Medicines to Modern Drugs

The discovery and use of medicines is just as fascinating a human scientific endeavor as space flight or the tracing of human evolution. It is also the everyday task of hundreds of thousands of pharmacists, pharmaceutical chemists and researchers worldwide.
Based on his profound knowledge of past and present paradigms in the development of medicines, Enrique Ravina takes the reader from the very beginnings of pharmacology to the multibillion–dollar business it represents today. Recounting the often spectacular successes and failures of innovative drugs as well as the people who discovered them, he brings abstract science to life in anecdotal form.
For anyone with a more than superficial interest in the science of drugs, this book is beautifully illustrated, containing historical photographs of drugs and their discoverers, and abounds with references to the primary literature, listing seminal publications alongside more modern reviews for readers seeking further details.

Spis treści:
Dedication.
Foreword.
Preface and Acknowledgment.
List of Credits for Images.
1 Evolution of Drug Discovery.
1.1 Antiquity.
1.2 Great Periods of Drug Discovery.
1.3 Vaccines.
References.
Further Reading.
2 The First Synthetic Drugs and the Birth of Chemotherapy.
2.1 Aspirin, Phenacetin, and Paracetamol.
2.2 Discovery of Pyrazolones.
2.3 Cocaine and Local Anesthetics.
2.4 Barbiturates and Related Compounds.
2.5 Fathers of Chemotherapy.
References.
3 From Casual Observations to Systematic Search.
3.1 From Antihistamines to Antipsychotics and Antidepressants: The Origins of Psychopharmacology.
3.2 Benzodiazepines.
3.3 Structural Variations on Sulfanilamide.
3.4 Azoles as a Source of Antibacterials, Antifungals, and Antihelmintics.
3.5 The Long Fight against Cancer.
3.6 Sildenafil – The First Inhibitor of Erectile Dysfunction.
Refe rences.
Further Reading.
4 Nature as a Source of Drugs: Drugs from Natural Products.
4.1 Plant Sources: Derivatives and Related Drugs (Selected Examples).
4.2 Animal Sources: Derivatives and Related Drugs.
4.3 Drugs from Microbiological Sources.
4.4 Drugs from Marine Origin: The Contribution of the Sea to the Therapeutic Arsenal.
References.
Further Reading.
5 Rationalizing the Drug Discovery Process.
5.1 Early Rational Drug Discovery Approaches: L–Dopa and L–α–Methyldopa.
5.2 Receptor–Based Drug Discovery.
5.3 Antimetabolites in the Fight against Bacteria, Viruses, and Cancer.
5.4 Cyclooxygenase(COX) Inhibitors.
References.
Further Reading.
6 Structure–Based Drug Discovery.
6.1 Searching for the Ideal Antihypertensive Agent: Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System (RAAS).
6.2 HIV Protease Inhibitors.
6.3 Drugs Effective against the Influenza Virus (the Flu).
6.4 Fight against Cancer.
6.5 New Avenues for the Development of Antidiabetic Agents. Dipeptidyl–Peptidase–IV Inhibitors: Sitagliptin and Vildagliptin.
References.
7 Biopharmaceuticals.
7.1 Monoclonal Antibodies (MAbs).
7.2 Recombinant DNA Technology (Genetic Engineering).
7.3 Some Recombinant Protein Drugs.
7.4 Protein–Polyethyleneglycol (PEG) Conjugates (Protein PEGylation).
References.
Further Reading.
8 Drug Discovery in the Postgenomic Era: Concluding Remarks.
8.1 Chemical/Genomic Strategy.
8.2 Summary.
References.
Index.

Nota biograficzna:
Enrique Ravi?a studied pharmacy at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where he obtained his PhD in 1969 and was appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry in 1975. Since 1981 he has been Professor of Medicinal/Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He is a member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Pharmacy, a founding member of the Spanish Society of Medicinal Chemistry and a member of the American Chemical Society. Professor Ravi?a has over 120 publications to his name in the field of chemistry of drugs, especially in the area of antipsychotic and cardiovascular drugs, including two books, as well as the patent ?6–phenyldihydropyrrolopyrimidinedione derivatives?. In 2008, he has published a highly acclaimed book on the history of drugs and their discovery in Spain (published in Spanish language).

Okładka tylna:
The discovery and use of medicines is just as fascinating a human scientific endeavor as space flight or the tracing of human evolution. It is also the everyday task of hundreds of thousands of pharmacists, pharmaceutical chemists and researchers worldwide.
Based on his profound knowledge of past and present paradigms in the development of medicines, Enrique Ravina takes the reader from the very beginnings of pharmacology to the multibillion–dollar business it represents today. Recounting the often spectacular successes and failures of innovative drugs as well as the people who discovered them, he brings abstract science to life in anecdotal form.
For anyone with a more than superficial interest in the science of drugs, this book is beautifully illustrated, containing historical photographs of drugs and their discoverers, and abounds with references to the primary literature, listing seminal publications alongside more modern reviews for readers seeking further details.