Stockwell, B: Quest for the Cure

List of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsPart I. The Vanishing Cures1. The Drug Discovery Crisis2. A New Science of Molecules3. The Birth of the First Cancer Drugs4. A New Company Creating Drug Combinations5. The Undruggable RAS Protein6. The Druggable GenomePart II. The Path to the Next Generation of Medicines7. Peering Inside Proteins8. The Nature of Interactions Between Proteins9. From Protein-Protein Interactions to Personalized Medicines10. A Revolution in Peptide Synthesis11. A Vast Array of Drug Candidates12. Moving Outside the Small Molecule Box13. Accelerating the Arrival of Next-Generation DrugsNotesGlossaryIndex

Brent R. Stockwell is an associate professor of biological sciences and chemistry at Columbia University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist. He serves on the editorial board of Chemistry & Biology, has been awarded ten U.S. patents, and has published fifty-four scientific papers. Among his recent honors are a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface and a Beckman Young Investigator Award.

The dearth of promising new treatments for many a serious disease remains a major challenge not just for the pharmaceutical industry but for all of society. In this exhaustively researched book, Brent R. Stockwell surveys the history of drug development and offers insightful suggestions for innovative new approaches. This is critical reading for the many involved in and concerned about this urgent issue. -- Robert Bazell, chief science correspondent, NBC News, and author of Her-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer This is a terrific book! Stockwell's writing is clear and engaging as he presents a thoughtful analysis of drug development that can be understood and appreciated by a diverse readership. Stockwell beautifully combines scientific history and personal anecdotes with clear explanations of the principles and practices of chemical biology to make a fascinating story of the past, present, and future of drug discovery. His book is informative, accurate, and a good read all put together. -- Geoffrey Cooper, Boston University, author of The Cell: A Molecular Approach and Oncogenes This is a truly wonderful book. Stockwell's writing will open the door to a universe that many readers may know little about. Drugs are born, biotech companies are created, scientists' careers are made and unmade, egos are raised and dashed. This book is so readable, it is an absolute page-turner. Yet it is also authoritative and scientifically sophisticated, managing to distill a complex, changing field into a beautifully written, well-crafted story. -- Siddhartha Mukherjee, Columbia University, author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer By providing accessible explanations for the underlying biological and chemical principles that apply to the complex solutions he describes, Stockwell enables even the scientifically unsophisticated reader to gain a wider perspective on what future disease treatment might entail. Publishers Weekly