Drug-like properties: concepts, structure design and methods from ADME to toxicity optimization

Abstract

Drug research is a fulfilling career because new drugs can improve human health, quality of life, and life span. For scientists dedicated to drug research, it can also be a supremely challenging mission, owing to the numerous attributes that must be simultaneously optimized to arrive at an efficacious drug-like compound. ADME/Tox (absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, toxicity) is one of these challenges. Of the thousands of novel compounds that a drug discovery project team invents and that bind to the therapeutic target, typically only a fraction of these have sufficient ADME/Tox properties to become a drug product. This book is devoted to providing you, the drug research scientist or student, with an introduction to ADME/Tox property concepts, structure design, and methodology to help you succeed with these challenges.