Rapid 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 book brings together drug design practitioners, all leaders in their field, who are actively advancing the field of quantitative methods to guide drug discovery, from structure-based design to empirical statistical models - from rule-based approaches to toxicology to the fields of bioinformatics and systems biology. The aim of the book is to show how various facets of the drug discovery process can be addressed in a quantitative fashion (ie: numerical analysis to enable robust predictions to be made). Each chapter includes a brief review of the topic showing the historical development of.

Bioinformatics allows researchers to answer biological questions with advanced computational methods which involves the application of statistics and mathematical modeling. Structural bioinformatics enables the prediction and analysis of 3D structures of macromolecules while Computer Aided Drug Designing (CADD) assists scientists to design effective active molecules against diseases. However, the concepts in structural bioinformatics and CADD can be complex to understand for students and educated laymen. This quick guideline is intended as a basic manual for beginner students and instructors involved in bioinformatics and computational chemistry courses. Readers will learn the basics of structural bioinformatics, primary and secondary analysis and prediction, structural visualization, structural analysis and molecular docking. Therefore, the book is a useful handbook for aspiring scholars who wish to learn the basic concepts in computational analysis of biomolecules.

Rare diseases collectively affect millions of Americans of all ages, but developing drugs and medical devices to prevent, diagnose, and treat these conditions is challenging. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends implementing an integrated national strategy to promote rare diseases research and product development.

The third edition of this best-selling book continues to offer a user-friendly, step-by-step introduction to all the key processes involved in bringing a drug to the market, including the performance of pre-clinical studies, the conduct of human clinical trials, regulatory controls, and even the manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical products. Concise and easy to read, Drugs: From Discovery to Approval, Third Edition quickly introduces basic concepts, then moves on to discuss target selection and the drug discovery process for both small and large molecular drugs. The third edition incorporates the latest developments and updates in the pharmaceutical community, provides more comprehensive coverage of topics, and includes more materials and case studies suited to college and university use. Biotechnology is a dynamic field with changes across R&D, clinical trials, manufacturing and regulatory processes, and the third edition of the text provides timely updates for those in this rapidly growing field.

Drug Discovery in Cancer Epigenetics is a practical resource for scientists involved in the discovery, testing, and development of epigenetic cancer drugs. Epigenetic modifications can have significant implications for translational science as biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis or therapy prediction. Most importantly, epigenetic modifications are reversible and epigenetic players are found mutated in different cancers; therefore, they provide attractive therapeutic targets. There has been great interest in developing and testing epigenetic drugs, which inhibit DNA methyltransferases, histone modifying enzymes or chromatin reader proteins. The first few drugs are already FDA approved and have made their way into clinical settings. This book provides a comprehensive summary of the epigenetic drugs currently available and aims to increase awareness in this area to foster more rapid translation of epigenetic drugs into the clinic. Highlights the potential of epigenetic alterations in cancer for drug development Covers the tools and methods for epigenetic drug discovery, preclinical and clinical testing, and clinical implications of epigenetic therapy Provides important information regarding putative epigenetic targets, epigenetic technologies, networks and consortia for epigenetic drug discovery and routes for translation

The first volume of the book series "Successful Drug Discovery" is focusing on new drug discoveries during the last decade, from established drugs to recently introduced drugs of all kinds: small-molecule-, peptide-, and protein-based drugs. The role of serendipity is analyzed in some very successful drugs where the research targets of the lead molecule and the drug are different. Phenotypic and target-based drug discovery approaches are discussed from the viewpoint of pioneer drugs and analogues. This volume gives an excellent overview of insulin analogues including a discussion of the properties of rapid-acting and long-acting formulations of this important hormone. The major part of the book is devoted to case histories of new drug discoveries described by their key inventors. Eight case histories range across many therapeutic fields. The goal of this book series is to help the participants of the drug research community with a reference book series and to support teaching in medicinal chemistry with case histories and review articles of new drugs.