HCV: The Journey from Discovery to a Cure


Book Description

​Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and infects approximately 75 million individuals worldwide. It is also one of the major causes of liver cancer and liver transplants. The elucidation of the HCV genome, and the development of a whole cell system to study the virus spurred the search for novel direct acting antiviral drugs to cure this disease. This global effort culminated in the development of direct acting antiviral drugs that led to cure rates approaching 100% in all patient populations after only 8-12 weeks of therapy. These efforts resulted in one of the greatest achievements in public health and provides the potential for eliminating HCV as a major disease worldwide. This volume is aimed at a broad audience of academic and industrial scientists interested in the discovery and development of drugs to treat viral diseases and those interested in reading about one of the most unique accomplishments in biomedical research. The volume will provide a one of a kind reference work that highlights the many efforts, from the discovery of the HCV virus, to the invention of breakthrough medicines and their use in the real world to cure patients. It is the companion book to the volume "HCV: The Journey from Discovery to a Cure - Volume I".




Conquest of Invisible Enemies


Book Description

"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"--




New Drug Development for Known and Emerging Viruses


Book Description

Discusses how to fight Ebola, SARS Corona, and other known or emerging human viruses by building on the successes in antiviral therapy of the past decades Written by leading medicinal chemists from academia and industry, this book discusses the entire field of antiviral drug discovery and development from a medicinal chemistry perspective, focusing on antiviral drugs, targets, and viral disease mechanisms. It provides an outlook on emerging pathogens such as Ebola, Zika, West Nile, Lassa, and includes a chapter on SARS Coronoavirus-2 causing the present pandemic. New Drug Development for Known and Emerging Viruses describes the discovery and development process for antiviral agents for different classes of viruses and targets based on the experiences from the nine human viruses for which approved drugs are on the market (HIV, HCV, Influenza, RSV, HBV, HPV, HCMV, HSV, and VZV). It covers the properties and potential of 20 classes of currently approved antivirals, including combination drugs, and looks at novel antiviral strategies against emerging viruses. Covers the entire field of antiviral drug discovery and development Addresses the need for antiviral drugs to combat major health threats such as Ebola, Zika, West Nile, and SARS Coronavirus-2 Summarizes the successes of the past 15 years in developing ground-breaking medicines against 9 major human viruses, both from the medicinal chemistry and the pharmacological angle Discusses practical and strategic challenges in the drug discovery and development process, including screening technologies, latency, and toxicity issues New Developments in Antiviral Drugs is an important book for medicinal chemists, pharmaceutical chemists, virologists, and epidemiologists, and will be of great interest to those in the pharmaceutical industry and public health agencies.




Privileged Scaffolds in Drug Discovery


Book Description

Privileged Scaffolds in Drug Discovery is the most complete and up-to-date work in the area. Covering a wide range of privileged structures, it is a perfect reference for scientists involved in targeted drug development. The editors recruited epserts from several prestigious Chinese institutions to cover the areas of antiviral drugs, chalcone, pyrimidine, (benz)imidazoles, natural product-derived privileged scaffolds, N-Sulfonyl carboxamides, kinase inhibitors, antitumor molecules, antineurodegenerative drugs, triazoles, oxazolidinone, indole and indoline scaffolds, tigliane diterpenoids, peptide and peptide-based drugs, quassinoids, and others including pseudonatural products, macrocycles, stable peptides and peptidomimetics. The book also explores scaffolds in drug molecules approved in recent years. Privileged Scaffolds in Drug Discovery is a complete reference for researchers in drug discovery and organic synthesis, in academic and corporate settings, who are investigating privileged structures upon which to base new drugs. Researchers in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology will also find the contents of this book valuable. - Provides wide coverage of privileged scaffolds in new drug discovery - Includes complex and diverse natural product scaffolds - Covers applications to peptides and peptide-based drugs




Advances in Prodrugs


Book Description

Advances in Prodrugs: Design and Therapeutic Applications provides a versatile tool in prodrug design and development as well as a concrete perspective on clinical and preclinical studies currently available on prodrugs. The first part of this book discusses different chemical classes of prodrugs, with particular emphasis on metabolic pathways and mechanisms involved in the activation of their functional groups. The second part of the book covers therapeutic applications of prodrugs against the most discussed diseases, providing detailed discussion on recent achievements in the field. This book offers researchers involved in drug discovery key criteria for the successful development of prodrug-based therapeutic tools.Prodrugs are inactive drug precursors which undergo different chemical transformation by metabolic processes to provide pharmacologically active compounds. Prodrugs include a broad range of structurally diverse molecules employed for the treatment of several diseases. - Highlights chemistry and pharmacology-related aspects, offering a versatile tool for readers involved in prodrug development and study - Discusses in-depth treatment of several activation mechanisms and applications for disease treatments - Covers a range of topics from basic contents, design, and mechanisms of actions to current applications in drugs




Global Handbook of Health Promotion Research, Vol. 1


Book Description

While research teams are producing relevant and valid knowledge for health promotion, there is not yet a structured manual and distinct field of health promotion research. This timely "state-of-the-art" handbook contributes to the structuring of such a field of research. This collection of original contributions explores the major epistemological, methodological, and ethical challenges facing health promotion research. It brings together experts from different "research traditions" that coexist in the field. The handbook covers the existing knowledge production and sharing practices to delineate the "discipline" and its agenda for future research. Ultimately, it contributes to the creation of a global community of health promotion researchers. The handbook is organized by four types of practices (what people actually do) studied in health promotion; the practices of: Individuals and populations in relation to their health and its determinants Professionals who intervene to improve population health Policy-makers and institutions involved in the advocacy, design, and implementation of policies and programs Researchers and innovators (academic scholars and global agencies) through which investment in research and production of evidence-based guidelines are made. Global Handbook of Health Promotion Research, Vol. 1: Mapping Health Promotion Research is a highly relevant reference tool for researchers and graduate students in health promotion, public health, education and socio-health sciences; practitioners in health, medical, and social sectors; policy-makers; and health research administrators.




Hepatitis C Virus-Host Interactions and Therapeutics: Current Insights and Future Perspectives


Book Description

The burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on the public health care system continues to remain significant despite the remarkable progress made in HCV therapeutics in the recent past. There are now almost a dozen oral interferon-free direct-acting antivirals available for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection. Despite advances in the treatment of HCV, therapeutic gaps remain that are yet to be fully explored. Researchers and scientists still strive to understand virus-host interactions to map the disease’s progression along with extrahepatic manifestations and virus invasion strategies impacting the host’s immune system. This book briefly discusses the biology of HCV infection, virus-host interactions, molecular epidemiology of the infection, and the full spectrum of immune responses to hepatitis C. It also provides in-depth information about HCV, clinical diagnostics, and therapeutic knowledge to all stakeholders involved in HCV screening, diagnosis, treatment, and management. Topics covered in the chapters include 1) HCV-host interactions leading to asymptomatic acute infection, 2) the progression of acute HCV infection to chronic disease and subsequent extrahepatic comorbidities, 3) Innate and adaptive immune responses in HCV infections, 4) Consensus-based Approaches for Hepatitis C Screening and Diagnosis, 5) advances in hepatitis C therapy and global management of HCV, and 6) the outcomes of Oral Interferon-free Direct-acting Antivirals as Combination Therapies to Cure Hepatitis C. This book is a valuable addition to undergraduate and postgraduate hepatology students and physicians, clinicians, hepatologists, and health care officials involved in HCV clinical diagnosis and therapeutics.




HCV: The Journey from Discovery to a Cure


Book Description

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and infects approximately 75 million individuals worldwide. It is also one of the major causes of liver cancer and liver transplants. The elucidation of the HCV genome, and the development of a whole cell system to study the virus spurred the search for novel direct acting antiviral drugs to cure this disease. This global effort culminated in the development of direct acting antiviral drugs that led to cure rates approaching 100% in all patient populations after only 8-12 weeks of therapy. These efforts resulted in one of the greatest achievements in public health and provides the potential for eliminating HCV as a major disease worldwide. This volume is aimed at a broad audience of academic and industrial scientists interested in the discovery and development of drugs to treat viral diseases and those interested in reading about one of the most unique accomplishments in biomedical research. The volume will provide a one of a kind reference work that highlights the many efforts, from the discovery of the HCV virus, to the invention of breakthrough medicines and their use in the real world to cure patients. It is the companion book to the volume "HCV: The Journey from Discovery to a Cure - Volume II".







Case Studies in Modern Drug Discovery and Development


Book Description

Learn why some drug discovery and development efforts succeed . . . and others fail Written by international experts in drug discovery and development, this book sets forth carefully researched and analyzed case studies of both successful and failed drug discovery and development efforts, enabling medicinal chemists and pharmaceutical scientists to learn from actual examples. Each case study focuses on a particular drug and therapeutic target, guiding readers through the drug discovery and development process, including drug design rationale, structure-activity relationships, pharmacology, drug metabolism, biology, and clinical studies. Case Studies in Modern Drug Discovery and Development begins with an introductory chapter that puts into perspective the underlying issues facing the pharmaceutical industry and provides insight into future research opportunities. Next, there are fourteen detailed case studies, examining: All phases of drug discovery and development from initial idea to commercialization Some of today's most important and life-saving medications Drugs designed for different therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular disease, infection, inflammation, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and allergies Examples of prodrugs and inhaled drugs Reasons why certain drugs failed to advance to market despite major research investments Each chapter ends with a list of references leading to the primary literature. There are also plenty of tables and illustrations to help readers fully understand key concepts, processes, and technologies. Improving the success rate of the drug discovery and development process is paramount to the pharmaceutical industry. With this book as their guide, readers can learn from both successful and unsuccessful efforts in order to apply tested and proven science and technologies that increase the probability of success for new drug discovery and development projects.