The molecular biological revolution and the mapping of the human genome continue to provide new challenges and opportunities for drug research and design. Future medicinal chemists and drug designers must have a firm background in a number of related scientific disciplines in order to understand the conversion of new insight into lead structures and subsequently into drug candidates. Classroom tested and student approved, Textbook of Drug Design and Discovery, Fourth Edition describes the manner in which medicinal chemists utilize the various fields upon which they draw and the specific strategies they employ to advance promising molecules into clinical use for the treatment of disease. This text integrates a number of related scientific disciplines, including advanced synthetic chemistry, computational chemistry, biochemistry, structural biology, and molecular pharmacology, to provide current and comprehensive information on all aspects of drug design and discovery. Extensively revised, new topics in the fourth edition include: Biostructure-based and ligand-based drug design Chemical biology Natural products Imaging Neurotransmitter transporters Opioid and cannabinoid receptors Hypnotics Neglected diseases Immunomodulating agents Antibiotics The first part of the book covers general aspects, methods, and principles for drug design and discovery, and the second part covers specific targets and diseases. The text contains more than 300 color figures and 24 tables for rapid assimilation. Each chapter includes references for further study. Most chapters also provide the background and history needed to provide a context for students, as well as conclusions that summarize the points most relevant to emerging areas of research in drug design.