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

by Brent Stockwell

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231152136
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	01/01/2013
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Part I. 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 II. The Path to the Next Generation of Medicines
7. Peering Inside Proteins
8. The Nature of Interactions Between Proteins
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

What People are Saying About This

Oncology Times

It is impossible to read this relatively short book...without being captured by the author's optimism about the future of drug development.

— Robert C. Young, M.D.

Editorial Reviews

It is impossible to read this relatively short book...without being captured by the author's optimism about the future of drug development.

Oncology Times - Robert C. Young

Despite our current political paralysis, government leaders should listen to Stockwell and be certain to advance our capacity to generate the drugs that our society and the world need.

Harvard Magazine

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

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

This book deserves a readership, and there is certainly a need for it. As a drug companyresearcher, I have often wished that more people understood what the field was likeand how simultaneously fascinating and frustrating it can be.

Cell - Derek B. Lowe

The book is well organized and includes many interesting, clever analogies to explain what can be complicated scientific problems.

Choice

In this well-researched look into the complexities of making medicines, a chemical biologist gives a history of drug making and details innovative methods of drug discovery.

Science News

This very readable, even exciting work takes us through the medical breakthroughs of the past century.

Globe & Mail

Stockwell writes well — his prose is accessible to the educated reader, irrespective of his or her background. All of the personalities, errors and successes in contemporary drug discovery are presented. Stockwell enlivens their stories with anecdotes...

— Garrett A. FitzGerald

Nature Medicine

The reader is not only left with a satisfying overview of the proud history and future challenges of finding new medicines but also encouragement that Stockwell and his contemporaries are creatively committed to academic drug discovery.

— David Kroll

Nature Chemistry

An engaging and rewarding read...

— Donald C. Lo

Journal of Clinical Investigation

This book deserves a readership, and there is certainly a need for it. As a drug companyresearcher, I have often wished that more people understood what the field was likeand how simultaneously fascinating and frustrating it can be.

— Derek B. Lowe

Cell

The reader is not only left with a satisfying overview of the proud history and future challenges of finding new medicines but also encouragement that Stockwell and his contemporaries are creatively committed to academic drug discovery.

Nature Chemistry - David Kroll

This very readable, even exciting work takes us through the medical breakthroughs of the past century.

Globe and Mail

Stockwell writes well—his prose is accessible to the educated reader, irrespective of his or her background. All of the personalities, errors and successes in contemporary drug discovery are presented. Stockwell enlivens their stories with anecdotes...

Nature Medicine - Garrett A. FitzGerald

An engaging and rewarding read...

Journal of Clinical Investigation - Donald C. Lo

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