Introduction to Biological and Small Molecule Drug Research and Development


Book Description

Introduction to Biological and Small Molecule Drug Research and Development provides, for the first time, an introduction to the science behind successful pharmaceutical research and development programs. The book explains basic principles, then compares and contrasts approaches to both biopharmaceuticals (proteins) and small molecule drugs, presenting an overview of the business and management issues of these approaches. The latter part of the book provides carefully selected real-life case studies illustrating how the theory presented in the first part of the book is actually put into practice. Studies include Herceptin/T-DM1, erythropoietin (Epogen/Eprex/NeoRecormon), anti-HIV protease inhibitor Darunavir, and more. Introduction to Biological and Small Molecule Drug Research and Development is intended for late-stage undergraduates or postgraduates studying chemistry (at the biology interface), biochemistry, medicine, pharmacy, medicine, or allied subjects. The book is also useful in a wide variety of science degree courses, in post-graduate taught material (Masters and PhD), and as basic background reading for scientists in the pharmaceutical industry. - For the first time, the fundamental scientific principles of biopharmaceuticals and small molecule chemotherapeutics are discussed side-by-side at a basic level - Edited by three senior scientists with over 100 years of experience in drug research who have compiled the best scientific comparison of small molecule and biopharmaceuticals approaches to new drugs - Illustrated with key examples of important drugs that exemplify the basic principles of pharmaceutical drug research and development




Basic Principles of Drug Discovery and Development


Book Description

Basic Principles of Drug Discovery and Development presents the multifaceted process of identifying a new drug in the modern era, which requires a multidisciplinary team approach with input from medicinal chemists, biologists, pharmacologists, drug metabolism experts, toxicologists, clinicians, and a host of experts from numerous additional fields. Enabling technologies such as high throughput screening, structure-based drug design, molecular modeling, pharmaceutical profiling, and translational medicine are critical to the successful development of marketable therapeutics. Given the wide range of disciplines and techniques that are required for cutting edge drug discovery and development, a scientist must master their own fields as well as have a fundamental understanding of their collaborator's fields. This book bridges the knowledge gaps that invariably lead to communication issues in a new scientist's early career, providing a fundamental understanding of the various techniques and disciplines required for the multifaceted endeavor of drug research and development. It provides students, new industrial scientists, and academics with a basic understanding of the drug discovery and development process. The fully updated text provides an excellent overview of the process and includes chapters on important drug targets by class, in vitro screening methods, medicinal chemistry strategies in drug design, principles of in vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, animal models of disease states, clinical trial basics, and selected business aspects of the drug discovery process. - Provides a clear explanation of how the pharmaceutical industry works, as well as the complete drug discovery and development process, from obtaining a lead, to testing the bioactivity, to producing the drug, and protecting the intellectual property - Includes a new chapter on the discovery and development of biologics (antibodies proteins, antibody/receptor complexes, antibody drug conjugates), a growing and important area of the pharmaceutical industry landscape - Features a new section on formulations, including a discussion of IV formulations suitable for human clinical trials, as well as the application of nanotechnology and the use of transdermal patch technology for drug delivery - Updated chapter with new case studies includes additional modern examples of drug discovery through high through-put screening, fragment-based drug design, and computational chemistry




Small Molecule Drug Discovery


Book Description

Small Molecule Drug Discovery: Methods, Molecules and Applications presents the methods used to identify bioactive small molecules, synthetic strategies and techniques to produce novel chemical entities and small molecule libraries, chemoinformatics to characterize and enumerate chemical libraries, and screening methods, including biophysical techniques, virtual screening and phenotypic screening. The second part of the book gives an overview of privileged cyclic small molecules and major classes of natural product-derived small molecules, including carbohydrate-derived compounds, peptides and peptidomimetics, and alkaloid-inspired compounds. The last section comprises an exciting collection of selected case studies on drug discovery enabled by small molecules in the fields of cancer research, CNS diseases and infectious diseases. The discovery of novel molecular entities capable of specific interactions represents a significant challenge in early drug discovery. Small molecules are low molecular weight organic compounds that include natural products and metabolites, as well as drugs and other xenobiotics. When the biological target is well defined and understood, the rational design of small molecule ligands is possible. Alternatively, small molecule libraries are being used for unbiased assays for complex diseases where a target is unknown or multiple factors contribute to a disease pathology. - Outlines modern concepts and synthetic strategies underlying the building of small molecules and their chemical libraries useful for drug discovery - Provides modern biophysical methods to screening small molecule libraries, including high-throughput screening, small molecule microarrays, phenotypic screening and chemical genetics - Presents the most advanced chemoinformatics tools to characterize the structural features of small molecule libraries in terms of chemical diversity and complexity, also including the application of virtual screening approaches - Gives an overview of structural features and classification of natural product-derived small molecules, including carbohydrate derivatives, peptides and peptidomimetics, and alkaloid-inspired small molecules




A Comprehensive Guide to Toxicology in Nonclinical Drug Development


Book Description

A Comprehensive Guide to Toxicology in Nonclinical Drug Development, Second Edition, is a valuable reference designed to provide a complete understanding of all aspects of nonclinical toxicology in the development of small molecules and biologics. This updated edition has been reorganized and expanded to include important topics such as stem cells in nonclinical toxicology, inhalation and dermal toxicology, pitfalls in drug development, biomarkers in toxicology, and more. Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest scientific advances and with increased coverage of international regulatory guidelines, this second edition is an essential and practical resource for all toxicologists involved in nonclinical testing in industry, academic, and regulatory settings. - Provides unique content that is not always covered together in one comprehensive resource, including chapters on stem cells, abuse liability, biomarkers, inhalation toxicology, biostatistics, and more - Updated with the latest international guidelines for nonclinical toxicology in both small and large molecules - Incorporates practical examples in order to illustrate day-to-day activities and the expectations associated with working in nonclinical toxicology




Introduction to Biological and Small Molecule Drug Research and Development


Book Description

Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) represent a group of about 50 genetic disorders caused by deficiencies of lysosomal proteins. The missing lysosomal protein causes a build-up of toxic metabolites in the cells of patients, leading to progressive multisystem disease and premature death. Although individually rare, the combined prevalence of all lysosomal disorders is estimated to be 1 in 8000 births. This chapter describes progress in several different LSD treatment modalities including enzyme replacement therapy, haematopoietic stem cell therapy, chaperone (enzyme stabilization) therapy, and substrate reductions therapy, and highlights new treatment directions for the future.




Introduction to Biological and Small Molecule Drug Research and Development


Book Description

Throughout human history, the morbidity and mortality associated with human disease has driven medical science into an ever-expanding quest for treatment and cure. Over the past century, a therapeutic approach complementing chemical drugs has been developing which uses proteins and peptides in the treatment of disease. Many innovative protein therapeutic platforms are currently being employed and continue to be developed to attain cures in areas of unmet medical need; these include direct copies of natural protein structure and function as well as proteins with completely novel functionality. Today, protein therapeutics represents the fastest growing sector in the pharmaceutical industry and comprises 16% of prescription drug sales in 2011.




Beyond the Molecular Frontier


Book Description

Chemistry and chemical engineering have changed significantly in the last decade. They have broadened their scopeâ€"into biology, nanotechnology, materials science, computation, and advanced methods of process systems engineering and controlâ€"so much that the programs in most chemistry and chemical engineering departments now barely resemble the classical notion of chemistry. Beyond the Molecular Frontier brings together research, discovery, and invention across the entire spectrum of the chemical sciencesâ€"from fundamental, molecular-level chemistry to large-scale chemical processing technology. This reflects the way the field has evolved, the synergy at universities between research and education in chemistry and chemical engineering, and the way chemists and chemical engineers work together in industry. The astonishing developments in science and engineering during the 20th century have made it possible to dream of new goals that might previously have been considered unthinkable. This book identifies the key opportunities and challenges for the chemical sciences, from basic research to societal needs and from terrorism defense to environmental protection, and it looks at the ways in which chemists and chemical engineers can work together to contribute to an improved future.




Introduction to Biological and Small Molecule Drug Research and Development


Book Description

Biotechnology has given rise to a broad range of biotherapies or biologics, including biomolecular drugs, vaccines, cell or gene therapies. This chapter focuses on biomolecular drugs, namely monoclonal antibodies (Mabs), cytokines, tissue growth factors and therapeutic proteins. Prior to the US approval of recombinant human insulin in 1982, biomolecular drugs were extracted from natural sources. The tools of molecular biology have dramatically increased the discovery and development of new biopharmaceuticals. The most obvious difference between small-molecule drugs (SMDs) and biomolecular drugs is size, like the difference in weight between a bicycle and a business jet. SMDs and biomolecular drugs are compared in this chapter by structure, molecular weight, preparation, physicochemical properties, and route of administration, as well as distribution, metabolism, serum half-life, dosing regimen, species reactivity, antigenicity & hypersensitivity, clearance mechanisms, drug–drug interactions, and pharmacology. This chapter reviews the differences and similarities in the various stages of drug discovery and development, with respect to cost, probability of success and cycle time. The clinical metrics of overall clinical success rate, stage-related success rate, and clinical cycle time are examined for SMDs and biomolecular drugs. The hybrid class of peptide drugs tends to be equated with biologics, due to their amino acid content and because oral activity is rare. But peptides truly bridge the gap between small molecules and biologics, in terms of physical properties, range of therapy areas and means of production. This chapter summarizes the similarities and differences of peptide drugs with SMDs and biomolecular drugs. The manner in which these agents compare as products with respect to manufacturing and pricing are considered. Two case studies are presented—the antagonists where small-molecule, peptide and Mab agents have competed in the market, and Her2 inhibitors where small-molecule and Mab agents may ultimately synergize as a combination product. Biomolecular drugs have levelled the playing field. All the “big Pharma” companies now have the capacity to develop both types of drugs. Conversely the larger biotech companies are developing the capacity for small-molecule synthesis. Now, with many blockbuster biologics nearing patent expiration, biosimilars are on the way. It's no longer a question of “choose which type”—one will need to know how to discover and develop either type of drug.




Introduction to Biological and Small Molecule Drug Research and Development


Book Description

Drug discovery of small molecules from target selection through to clinical evaluation is a very complex, challenging but rewarding area of drug discovery. There are many obstacles along the journey from initial hit-finding activities, through optimization of compounds and eventually to delivery of robust candidate drugs (CDs) for clinical evaluation. This chapter presents key issues and literature solutions with respect to the optimization of hits into CDs. Details of the key hit-finding activities namely high-throughput screening, virtual screening, natural products, fragment-based drug discovery and fast-follower approaches are discussed. Key aspects of compound quality such as lipophilicity, solubility, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic, plasma protein binding and cytochrome P450 inhibition/induction are discussed as well as potential safety liabilities such as human ether-a-go-go related gene, genotoxicity and phospholipidosis, Finally successful hit-to-lead and lead optimization case studies are presented to illustrate and highlight the key principles.




Research and Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry (A CBO Study)


Book Description

Perceptions that the pace of new-drug development has slowed and that the pharmaceutical industry is highly profitable have sparked concerns that significant problems loom for future drug development. This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study-prepared at the request of the Senate Majority Leader-reviews basic facts about the drug industry's recent spending on research and development (R&D) and its output of new drugs. The study also examines issues relating to the costs of R&D, the federal government's role in pharmaceutical research, the performance of the pharmaceutical industry in developing innovative drugs, and the role of expected profits in private firms' decisions about investing in drug R&D. In keeping with CBO's mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis, the study makes no recommendations. David H. Austin prepared this report under the supervision of Joseph Kile and David Moore. Colin Baker provided valuable consultation...