Insights Into Receptor Function And New Drug Development Targets

This book describes the current state of knowledge in receptor function in the development of new drugs. Science is on the verge of viewing effector molecules and other regulatory sites as therapeutic targets for the amelioration of human and animal disease. The book reviews the availability of state-of-the-art tools that allow measurement of interactions and afford unprecedented insight into the biomolecular interactions that present novel approaches to drug design.

This book describes the current state of knowledge in receptor function in the development of new drugs. Science is on the verge of viewing effector molecules and other regulatory sites as therapeutic targets for the amelioration of human and animal disease. The book reviews the availability of state-of-the-art tools that allow measurement of interactions and afford unprecedented insight into the biomolecular interactions that present novel approaches to drug design.

Improving and Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Nervous System Disorders is the summary of a workshop convened by the IOM Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders to examine opportunities to accelerate early phases of drug development for nervous system drug discovery. Workshop participants discussed challenges in neuroscience research for enabling faster entry of potential treatments into first-in-human trials, explored how new and emerging tools and technologies may improve the efficiency of research, and considered mechanisms to facilitate a more effective and efficient development pipeline. There are several challenges to the current drug development pipeline for nervous system disorders. The fundamental etiology and pathophysiology of many nervous system disorders are unknown and the brain is inaccessible to study, making it difficult to develop accurate models. Patient heterogeneity is high, disease pathology can occur years to decades before becoming clinically apparent, and diagnostic and treatment biomarkers are lacking. In addition, the lack of validated targets, limitations related to the predictive validity of animal models - the extent to which the model predicts clinical efficacy - and regulatory barriers can also impede translation and drug development for nervous system disorders. Improving and Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Nervous System Disorders identifies avenues for moving directly from cellular models to human trials, minimizing the need for animal models to test efficacy, and discusses the potential benefits and risks of such an approach. This report is a timely discussion of opportunities to improve early drug development with a focus toward preclinical trials.

This volume gives an overview of state of the art technologies and future developments in the field of preclinical pharmaceutical research. A balanced mix of experts from academia and industry give insight in selected new developments in the drug discovery pathway. The topics cover the different parts of the drug discovery process, starting with new developments in the target identification and validation area. The lead generation part as a next step focuses on the requirements and technologies to identify new small molecules as lead compounds for further optimization; in a second section the technologies to identify biologics as leads are addressed. The final part focuses on the pharmacological models and technologies to characterize new compounds and the impact of biomarkers to facilitate the transfer of drug candidates into the development phase.

This book covers topics that range from fundamental studies of DNA replication, chromosomal and nuclear function through growth factor control of endocrine tumor initiation and progression. The basic and translational insights gained from Hormonal Control of Cell Cycle will be of interest to those studying the biology of endocrine tumors as well as those deriving novel therapeutic approaches for these benign and malignant disorders.

The incidence of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases is steadily increasing. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one example of a chronic inflammatory disease, which primarily affects the intestine but may also affect extraintestinal organs. The exact pathogenesis of IBD is currently unknown. However, it is clear that the pathogenesis is complex, involving barrier defects, changes in the intestinal microbiome, and chronic immune activation. This book aims to summarize basic aspects of these complex interactions between barrier function, microbiome, and the immune system. Of note, there is currently no cure for IBD. However, several therapies have evolved in the last years, which are overall able to-at least temporarily-suppress IBD. These therapies and the underlying mechanism are discussed.

Following significant advances in deep learning and related areas interest in artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly grown. In particular, the application of AI in drug discovery provides an opportunity to tackle challenges that previously have been difficult to solve, such as predicting properties, designing molecules and optimising synthetic routes. Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery aims to introduce the reader to AI and machine learning tools and techniques, and to outline specific challenges including designing new molecular structures, synthesis planning and simulation. Providing a wealth of information from leading experts in the field this book is ideal for students, postgraduates and established researchers in both industry and academia.