The Quest for the Cure

After morethan fifty years of blockbuster drug development, skeptics are beginning tofear we are reaching the end of drug discovery to combat major diseases. Inthis engaging book, Brent R. Stockwell, a leading researcher in the excitingnew science of chemical biology, describes this dilemma and the powerfultechniques that may bring drug research into the twenty-first century.

Filled withabsorbing stories of breakthroughs, this book begins with the scientificachievements of the twentieth century that led to today's drug innovations. Welearn how the invention of mustard gas in World War I led to early anti-canceragents and how the efforts to decode the human genome might lead to newapproaches in drug design. Stockwell then turns to the seemingly incurablediseases we face today, such as Alzheimer's, many cancers, and others with notruly effective medicines, and details the cellular and molecular barriersthwarting scientists equipped with only the tools of traditional pharmaceuticalresearch.

Scientistssuch as Stockwell are now developing methods to combat these complexities -- technologiesfor constructing and testing millions of drug candidates, sophisticatedcomputational modeling, and entirely new classes of drug molecules -- all withan eye toward solving the most profound mysteries of living systems and findingcures for intractable diseases. If successful, these methods will unlock a vastterrain of untapped drug targets that could lead to a bounty of breakthroughmedicines. Offering a rare, behind-the-scenes look at this cutting-edgeresearch, The Quest for the Cure tells a thrilling story of science, persistence, and the quest todevelop a new generation of cures.

Brent R.Stockwell is an associate professor of biological sciences and chemistry atColumbia University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early CareerScientist. He serves on the editorial board of Chemistry & Biology, has been awarded ten U.S. patents,and has published fifty-four scientific papers. Among his recent honors are aBurroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface and a BeckmanYoung Investigator Award.