How Medicines Work: Illustrated

Description

This highly illustrated volume will describe, through clear diagrams and concise text, how the most prescribed, as well as new medicines, work in the body for a broad range of diseases. By bringing this knowledge together in one place, we will seek to answer the question, "What is the impact of the accelerating knowledge in biology, drug research and medical sciences on the development and approval of medicines for the treatment of a wide range of diseases". Furthermore, information on how a successful drug works can make the case for a particular therapy and provide an informed dialog between a patient and physician, or a professor and a student, or a regulator and pharmaceutical scientist. With the continuing explosion of medical information, the book addresses the following themes: What topics should the medical schools teach the next generation of students? How to serve a medical practitioner who wishes to be better informed about the latest medicines? What about the regulatory agencies where the safety and effectiveness of a new drug can be better evaluated in the context of the biology of a particular disease. The advent of personalized medicine teaches that each patient is unique, which requires an understanding of the confluence of genetics, physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology for a specific drug. This book breaks important new ground by focusing on the cellular biochemistry of selected diseases and how the respective drug works, using a concise, focused and non-technical graphic review. Cover Half Title Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Page Foreword Preface Biographical Information History Acknowledgments Chapter 1: The chemistry of life Introduction The biochemistry of enzymes and related diseases Receptors and actions of medicines Detoxification pathways Chapter 2: The organs and molecules of life How the body digests food and provides the building blocks for life. The gastrointestinal tract. The pancreas gland with secretions of enzymes and hormones. The role of the liver in protein, nucleic acid, polysaccharide and lipid metabolism. Chapter 3: The body’s protective systems and related diseases The parts of the body’s protective systems The innate and adaptive immune system Diseases of the eye and medicines A medicine for lung cancer Skin diseases and medicines Blood cell disorders and medicines Chapter 4: Homeostasis of the body’s physiology Body temperature regulation Oxygen levels in blood Blood pressure regulation Regulation of blood glucose levels Inflammation, aging and cancer Chapter 5: Brain disorders and selected medicines Diseases/disorders of the brain Blood brain barrier and infectious diseases Neurotransmitter functions Amine neurotransmitters Amino acid neurotransmitters Peptide and other neurotransmitters Chapter 6: Innovative medicines Rare diseases Small-molecule drugs Antibody drugs Peptide drugs RNA drugs Cell and gene therapy Chapter 7: Viruses, diseases, drugs and vaccines The Diversity of Viruses RNA Viruses The Influenza (flu) virus Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Ebola virus SARS-CoV-2 DNA Viruses Smallpox (variola) virus Hepatitis B Human papillomavirus (HPV) virus Additional Reading Appendix I Appendix II Target biochemistry for action of medicines