โ Scribed by W. So
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Drug discovery in the past and, to a lesser extent, at present has been (is) based on molecular manipulation of natural products. In this way, selective local anesthetics have been developed from cocaine
From atropine via pethidine, potent morphinomimetics, antiโtussives, antiโdiarrhea agents and neuroleptics of the butyrophenone type have been developed.
New lead compounds can also be discovered by general pharmacological screening of new chemical entities, synthesised with a certain pharmacological property in view, but lacking the expected potency. The discovery of the antiโulcer agent omeprazole is an example of this approach. Chemical manipulation of known bioactive compounds may also lead to new drugs. The possibility of rational design of new, highly sophisticated and specific drugs depends largely on progress made in the exact understanding, at the molecular level, of agonist/antagonistโreceptor and proteinโprotein interactions.
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Subject classification: 72.20.Ee The paper is an attempt to present a brief perspective of hopping phenomena since the inception of the field, to summarize the scientific program of this conference, to mention some relevant recent work that could not be covered at the conference, and finally to pre