Conquest of Invisible Enemies : A Human History of Antiviral Drugs

It's time to examine the human history of viruses, vaccines, and antiviral drugs... Public response to the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that misinformation about viruses is widespread. Vaccine skepticism is rampant, and many people have been quick to accept bogus claims unsupported by science. In his latest book, Jie Jack Li sets the record straight by revealing the science and history behind antiviral drugs. Conquest of Invisible Enemies: A Human History of Antiviral Drugs guides readers through the history of viruses, vaccinations, and treatments. Readers learn about the discovery of viruses and diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The first chapter takes an expansive look at how viruses have shaped human history. Subsequent chapters narrow in on specific viruses, diseases, and drug treatments. For example, chapter four, on influenza, looks at the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the history of vaccination efforts, and influenza drugs and vaccines today. Chapter five, on coronaviruses, considers drug treatments for SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2. It also discusses the development of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs. Conquest of Invisible Enemies: A Human History of Antiviral Drugs focuses on the human drama behind drug discovery. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Li's timely book dispels common misconceptions about viruses and treatments and places the COVID-19 pandemic in historical context. Cover Half-Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Preface 1. Viruses Shaping History and the Discovery of Viruses 1.1 Viruses Shaping History 1.1.1 Tulipomania: Bubbles of bulbs 1.1.2 The fall of old Mexico and Peru 1.1.3 Succession of the throne 1.1.4 The Louisiana Purchase 1.2 Discovery of Viruses 1.2.1 The germ theory 1.2.2 Discovery of viruses 1.2.3 Cancer-​causing viruses 1.2.4 Discovery of retroviruses 2. HIV/​AIDS Drugs: Transforming a Death Sentence into a Chronic Disease 2.1 Discovery of the Virus 2.1.1 A death sentence 2.1.2 Discovery of HIV and the great scientific controversy 2.1.3 The Nobel Prize 2.2 The First Ray of Hope 2.2.1 Nucleoside antiviral drugs 2.2.2 Non-​nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors 2.3 HIV Protease Inhibitors 2.3.1 HIV protease 2.3.2 First-​generation HIV protease inhibitors 2.3.3 Second-​generation HIV protease inhibitors 2.4 HIV Integrase Inhibitors 2.5 HIV Entry Inhibitors 2.5.1 HIV fusion inhibitors 2.5.2 CCR5 inhibitors 2.6 The Road to Eradication 3. Hepatitis Viruses 3.1 Hepatitis A Virus 3.1.1 Discovery of the hepatitis A virus 3.1.2 Hepatitis A vaccines 3.2 Hepatitis B Virus 3.2.1 Discovery of the hepatitis B virus 3.2.2 Hepatitis B vaccines 3.2.3 Hepatitis B drugs 3.3 Hepatitis C Virus 3.3.1 Discovery of hepatitis C virus 3.3.2 Hepatitis C virus NS3/​4A serine protease inhibitors 3.3.3 Hepatitis C virus NS5A protein inhibitors 3.3.4 Hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase inhibitors 3.4 A Triumph of Modern Medicine 4. Influenza: A Perennial Killer 4.1 Influenza, A Perennial Killer 4.2 A Virus that Changed the World: The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic 4.3 Discovery of the Influenza Virus 4.4 Influenza Vaccines 4.4.1 History of vaccination 4.4.2 History of influenza vaccines 4.4.3 Influenza vaccines today 4.5 Influenza Drugs 4.5.1 M2 inhibitors 4.5.2 Influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitors 4.5.3 Cap-​dependent endonuclease inhibitor 5. Coronaviruses 5.1 Coronavirus 5.1.1 What is a coronavirus? 5.1.2 SARS and MERS 5.1.3 SARS-​CoV-​2 5.2 COVID-​19 Vaccines 5.2.1 Pfizer/​BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine 5.2.2 Johnson & Johnson’s viral vector vaccine 5.3 COVID-​19 Drugs 5.3.1 Remdesivir (Veklury) 5.3.2 Dexamethasone (Decadron) 6. Closing Remarks Appendix: Chemical Structures of the Drugs Notes Index "COVID-19 reminds us how acutely the virus can impact humanity. In fact, viruses existed long before the emergence of homo sapiens. In this book on the history of antiviral drug discovery, the human aspects are highlighted. In Chapter 1, the author regales us with several episodes where history was shaped by viruses causing smallpox, yellow fever, etc. The fascinating history of the first discovery of virus, tobacco mosaic virus, was also recounted. Chapters 2-5 covered four classes of viruses such as HIV, hepatitis viruses, influenza viruses and coronaviruses. Each chapter begins how the virus was discovered, followed by vaccine development, and then focuses on the discovery of small molecule antiviral drugs. For chemistry aficionados, the end of the book is replete with abundant of bibliography for further understanding of the minutia of the stories, followed by molecular structures of the antiviral drugs. This book is of interest to anyone who wants to know the science behind virus, vaccines and antiviral drugs. It is especially useful for healthcare professionals who are interested in knowing how viruses, vaccines and antiviral drugs are discovered." [Provided by publisher] In his latest book, science writer and medicinal chemist Jie Jack Li guides readers through the history of viruses, vaccines, and antiviral drugs. Li chronicles the discovery and treatment of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, influenza, and coronaviruses. Throughout, Li focuses on how viruses have shaped human history and on the individuals who developed treatments.