Beginning with an introduction to drug design and discovery, the first eight chapters cover molecular recognition, ligand-based drug design, and biostructure-based drug design. The authors also discuss drug-like properties and decision making in medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, natural products in drug discovery, and in vivo imaging in drug discovery.
The middle six chapters provide an overview of peptide and protein drug design, prodrugs in drug design and development, and enzyme inhibitors. The authors also go through receptors (structure, function, and pharmacology), ion channels (structure and function), and neurotransmitter transporters (structure, function, and drug binding).
The following chapters address important neurotransmitter systems, GABA and glutamic acid receptors and transporter ligands, acetylcholine, histamine, dopamine and serotonin, and opioid and cannabinoid receptors. The book concludes with an examination of neglected diseases, anticancer agents, tyrosine kinase receptors, and antibiotics.