A Pharmacology Primer

Book excerpt: A Pharmacology Primer: Techniques for More Effective and Strategic Drug Discovery, Fifth Edition features the latest ideas and research regarding the application of pharmacology to the process of drug discovery. Written by well-respected pharmacologist, Terry P. Kenakin, this primer is an indispensable resource for all those involved in drug discovery. This updated edition has been thoroughly revised to include material on quantifying drug efficacy through bias and cluster analysis, the impact of molecular dynamics and protein structural analysis, the real time kinetic analysis of drug effect, virtual screening for new drug chemical scaffolds, and much more. With full color illustrations and new examples throughout, this book remains a top reference for all industry and academic scientists that is also ideal for students directly involved in drug discovery or pharmacologic research. - Highlights changes surrounding strategies for drug discovery, providing a comprehensive reference and featuring advances in the methods involved - Includes multiple new sections, such as development and utilization of models in pharmacology, de-orphanization of new drug targets, predicting impact of disease on drug pharmacokinetics, and the impact of enzyme kinetics on drug-drug interactions - Illustrates the application of rapid inexpensive assays to predict activity in the therapeutic setting, showing data outcomes and the limitations inherent in interpreting this data