The Quest for the Cure : The Science and Stories Behind the Next Generation of Medicines

After more than fifty years of blockbuster drug development, skeptics are beginning to fear we are reaching the end of drug discovery to combat major diseases. In this engaging book, Brent R. Stockwell, a leading researcher in the exciting new science of chemical biology, describes this dilemma and the powerful techniques that may bring drug research into the twenty-first century. After more than fifty years of blockbuster drug development, skeptics are beginning to fear we are reaching the end of drug discovery to combat major diseases. In this engaging book, Brent R. Stockwell, a leading researcher in the exciting new science of chemical biology, describes this dilemma and the powerful techniques that may bring drug research into the twenty-first century. Filled with absorbing stories of breakthroughs, this book begins with the scientific achievements of the twentieth century that led to today's drug innovations. We learn how the invention of mustard gas in World War I led to early anti-cancer agents and how the efforts to decode the human genome might lead to new approaches in drug design. Stockwell then turns to the seemingly incurable diseases we face today, such as Alzheimer's, many cancers, and others with no truly effective medicines, and details the cellular and molecular barriers thwarting scientists equipped with only the tools of traditional pharmaceutical research. Scientists such as Stockwell are now developing methods to combat these complexities—technologies for constructing and testing millions of drug candidates, sophisticated computational modeling, and entirely new classes of drug molecules—all with an eye toward solving the most profound mysteries of living systems and finding cures for intractable diseases. If successful, these methods will unlock a vast terrain of untapped drug targets that could lead to a bounty of breakthrough medicines. Offering a rare, behind-the-scenes look at this cutting-edge research, __The Quest for the Cure__ tells a thrilling story of science, persistence, and the quest to develop a new generation of cures. After more than fifty years of blockbuster drug development, skeptics are beginning to fear we are reaching the end of drug discovery to combat major diseases. In this engaging book, Brent R. Stockwell, a leading researcher in the exciting new science of chemical biology, describes this dilemma and the powerful techniques that may bring drug research into the twenty-first century.Filled with absorbing stories of breakthroughs, this book begins with the scientific achievements of the twentieth century that led to today's drug innovations. We learn how the invention of mustard gas in World War I led to early anti-cancer agents and how the efforts to decode the human genome might lead to new approaches in drug design. Stockwell then turns to the seemingly incurable diseases we face today, such as Alzheimer's, many cancers, and others with no truly effective medicines, and details the cellular and molecular barriers thwarting scientists equipped with only the tools of traditional pharmaceutical research. Scientists such as Stockwell are now developing methods to combat these complexities#x97;technologies for constructing and testing millions of drug candidates, sophisticated computational modeling, and entirely new classes of drug molecules#x97;all with an eye toward solving the most profound mysteries of living systems and finding cures for intractable diseases. If successful, these methods will unlock a vast terrain of untapped drug targets that could lead to a bounty of breakthrough medicines. Offering a rare, behind-the-scenes look at this cutting-edge research, The Quest for the Cure tells a thrilling story of science, persistence, and the quest to develop a new generation of cures A Leading Researcher In Chemical Biology Offers A Behind-the-scenes Tour Of Today's Medical Innovations, Tracing Key 20th-century Pharmacological Milestones While Profiling Sophisticated, Emerging Approaches To Drug Design That May Enable Breakthrough Treatments For Seemingly Incurable Diseases. The Drug Discovery Crisis -- A New Science Of Molecules -- The Birth Of The First Cancer Drugs -- A New Company Creating Drug Cocktails -- The Undruggable Ras Protein -- The Druggable Genome -- Peering Inside Proteins -- The Nature Of Interactions Between Proteins -- Blocking Protein-protein Interactions -- A Revolution In Peptide Synthesis -- A Vast Array Of Drug Candidates -- Moving Outside The Small Molecule Box -- Accelerating The Arrival Of Next Generation Drugs. Brent R. Stockwell, Phd. Includes Bibliographical References (page [229]-249) And Index. CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABBREVIATIONS PART ONE: THE VANISHING CURES 1. THE DRUG DISCOVERY CRISIS 2. A NEW SCIENCE OF MOLECULES 3. THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST CANCER DRUGS 4. A NEW COMPANY CREATING DRUG COMBINATIONS 5. THE UNDRUGGABLE RAS PROTEIN 6. THE DRUGGABLE GENOME PART TWO: THE PATH TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF MEDICINES 7. PEERING INSIDE PROTEINS 8. THE NATURE OF INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PROTEINS Color Plates 9. FROM PROTEIN- PROTEIN INTERACTIONS TO PERSONALIZED MEDICINES 10. A REVOLUTION IN PEPTIDE SYNTHESIS 11. A VAST ARRAY OF DRUG CANDIDATES 12. MOVING OUTSIDE THE SMALL MOLECULE BOX 13. ACCELERATING THE ARRIVAL OF NEXT- GENERATION DRUGS NOTES GLOSSARY INDEX After more than fifty years of blockbuster drug development, skeptics are beginning to fear we may be reaching the end of drug discovery to combat major diseases. In this engaging book, Brent Stockwell, a leading researcher in the exciting new science of chemical biology, describes this dilemma and the powerful techniques that may bring drug research into the twenty-first century. Filled with absorbing stories of breakthroughs, the book begins with the scientific achievements of the twentieth century that led to today's drug innovations. We learn how the invention of mustard gas in