The Quest for the Cure

April 4, 2011
Stockwell, professor of biology and chemistry at Columbia University, claims that the success drug companies have had developing specific chemicals to combat disease is likely coming to an end. According to Stockwell, the techniques scientists have used to fight disease up to now, binding drug molecules to proteins, may have reached its limit, as most proteins, it seems, cannot bind with drug molecules; they are "undruggable." But genes are "druggable." Stockwell is impressive in describing a new paradigm of pharmaceutical research that could open a host of new possibilities for currently untreatable diseases involving advances in genomics, molecular biology, and chemistry. By providing accessible explanations for the underlying biological and chemical principles that apply to the complex solutions he describes, Stockwell enables even the scientifically unsophisticated reader to gain a wider perspective on what future disease treatment might entail. He also brings to life the excitement of scientific research by highlighting classic experiments that have shaped our understanding of biological systems and profiling major players in the field. Illus.

April 1, 2011

This year, the new National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences will carry out research in the hopes of attracting drug company investment and speeding up new drug development, making this title very timely. In the preface, Stockwell (biological sciences & chemistry, Columbia Univ.) writes that this book is about the "high-stakes search by scientists to create the next generation of medicines." Covering current problems and emerging approaches, he focuses on the types of molecules that constitute the next generation of medicines and who is making them. His specific interest is in "undruggable proteins" that cause as-yet-incurable diseases. Virtually all references are from current and historic scientific literature. VERDICT This is a serious work, and despite the author's efforts to interject a less academic tone, it will likely be appreciated the most by readers who already have a good grasp of the subject matter. There are few current books on this specific topic other than scientific textbooks, making this appropriate for reference collections in large public libraries and for academic institutions that support chemistry and pharmacology programs.--Martha E. Stone, Massachusetts General Hosp., Boston

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