Conquest of Invisible Enemies

Book excerpt: "COVID-19 reminds us how acutely the virus can impact humanity. In fact, viruses existed long before the emergence of homo sapiens. In this book on the history of antiviral drug discovery, the human aspects are highlighted. In Chapter 1, the author regales us with several episodes where history was shaped by viruses causing smallpox, yellow fever, etc. The fascinating history of the first discovery of virus, tobacco mosaic virus, was also recounted. Chapters 2-5 covered four classes of viruses such as HIV, hepatitis viruses, influenza viruses and coronaviruses. Each chapter begins how the virus was discovered, followed by vaccine development, and then focuses on the discovery of small molecule antiviral drugs. For chemistry aficionados, the end of the book is replete with abundant of bibliography for further understanding of the minutia of the stories, followed by molecular structures of the antiviral drugs. This book is of interest to anyone who wants to know the science behind virus, vaccines and antiviral drugs. It is especially useful for healthcare professionals who are interested in knowing how viruses, vaccines and antiviral drugs are discovered"--