3 Review(s)

Drug design is an integrated developing discipline which portends an era of 'tailored drug'. It involves the study of effects of biologically active compound in terms molecular structures or its physico-chemical parameters. The current trends in drug discovery is to develop new clinically effective agents through the structured modifications of a lead nucleus. The structural modifications may help to increase the potency of desired activity and/or to decrease the intensity of adverse effects. This is the area of interest and expertise of any Medical Chemist. Medical Chemistry play a key in pharmaceutical research. They are expected to synthesize, purify analyse novel bioactive compounds from natural, from natural, synthetic and semi synthetic sources. Various conventional approaches along with latest tools like 2D/3D QSAR, combinational chemistry may be effectively used for this purpose. This book is an attempt to present a review of basic principles of medicinal chemistry and to explain the effects of structural modifications of the lead nucleus on the selectivity of action, duration of action and on the intensity and frequency of adverse effects. An effort is also made to stress upon basic pharmacology in detail, wherever needed. In the last tow decades, the phases of ever-growing volume and ever-changing nature of the drug information are witnesses. This is due to an increase in the rate of introduction of new drugs and an increase in the number and depth of published work on both, new as well as existing drugs. Above facts necessitated the publication of this book into a set of two volumes.