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For many people, taking some form of medication is part of everyday life, whether for mild or severe illness, acute or chronic disease, to target infection or to relieve pain. However for most it remains a mystery as to what happens once the drug has been taken into the body: how do the drugs actually work? Furthermore, by what processes are new drugs discovered and brought to market? An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry, International Edition, provides an accessible and comprehensive account of this fascinating multidisciplinary field. Assuming little prior knowledge, the text is ideal for those studying the subject for the first time. Part A of the book introduces the principles of drug action via targets such as receptors and enzymes. The book goes on to explore how drugs work at the molecular level (pharmacodynamics) and the processes involved in ensuring a drug meets its target (pharmacokinetics). Further sections cover the processes by which drugs are discovered and designed and what has to happen before a drug can be made available to the public. The book concludes with a selection of current topics in medicinal chemistry and a discussion of various key drug groups. The subject is brought to life throughout by engaging case studies highlighting particular drugs and the stories behind their discovery and development. The Online Resource Centre features: For students:- Multiple choice questions to support self-directed learning - Web articles describing recent developments in the field and further information on topics covered in the book- Journal Club to encourage students to critically analyse the research literature- Molecular modelling exercises, with new exercises in Chem3D- New assignments to help students develop data analysis and problem solving skills - Further reading- Glossary of terms included in the bookFor registered adopters of the book: - A test bank of additional multiple-choice questions- Answers to end-of-chapter questions- Figures from the book, ready to download- Power Point slides to accompany every chapter in the book- Appendices providing more information on topics covered in the book Table of Contents Chapter 1 Drugs and drug targets: an overviewPart A - Drug Targets, Pharmacodynamics and PharmacokineticsChapter 2 Protein structure and functionChapter 3 Enzymes and enzyme inhibitorsChapter 4 Receptors, agonists and antagonistsChapter 5 Receptors and signal transductionChapter 6 Nucleic acids as drug targetsChapter 7 Miscellaneous drug targetsChapter 8 Pharmacokinetics and related topicsPart B - Drug Discovery, Design and DevelopmentChapter 9 Drug discovery: finding a leadChapter 10 Drug design: optimizing target interactionsChapter 11 Drug design: optimizing access to the targetChapter 12 Getting the drug to marketPart C - Selected Topics in Medicinal ChemistryChapter 13 Cholinergics, anticholinergics and anticholinesterasesChapter 14 Drugs acting on the adrenergic nervous systemChapter 15 Opioid analgesicsChapter 16 Antiulcer agentsChapter 17 Antibacterial agentsChapter 18 Antiviral agentsChapter 19 Anticancer agentsPart D - Tools of the TradeChapter 20 Combinatorial synthesisChapter 21 Computers in medicinal chemistryChapter 22 Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR).