Progress in Medicinal Chemistry 44

The perceived lack of drug discovery productivity in recent times has led to much debate in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry as escalating R&D costs are not being matched by increased output. Few observers doubt that selecting the right targets, ie those which are critical to disease pathology and are 'druggable', is the best starting point for improved productivity. The seven chapters of this volume describe recent progress towards drugs acting at a range of 'druggable' targets. One chapter addresses kinases, one covers an ion channel, two proteases are featured and three of the chapters cover G-protein coupled receptors, which has historically perhaps been the most fruitful area for medicinal chemists.