Written with the non-scientist in mind, this book employs the molecule and its interactions to explain the characteristics of living organisms in terms of the underlying chemistry of life. Following introductory chapters on the fundamentals of life, attention then turns to small molecules such as hormones and neurotransmitters and subsequently to macromolecules including proteins and nucleic acids. The interactions between small and macromolecules remains a central point throughout the book. These include enzymatic catalysis, hormone action, neurotransmission, regulation of metabolism, biosynthesis of macromolecules, the mechanism of action of drugs, taste, olfaction, learning and memory, and chemical communication.
A second central point of emphasis is the sensitive relationship between chemical structure and biological activity. Examples abound and include why subtle changes in fatty acid architecture have positive or negative outcomes for human health in omega-three fatty acids and trans fats and how modest changes in the chemical decoration of the steroid skeleton provide the difference between male and female sex hormones. Beyond these examples taken from the chemistry of small molecules, the book includes a thoughtful consideration of genomics, including the relationship between genome structure and species. The theme of human health appears throughout the book. Cardiovascular medicine, cancer, metabolic diseases, and diseases of the nervous system receive significant attention including consideration of how a variety of drugs work in combating these issues.
In sum, the goal of this book is to inform the non-scientist community in a way that will lead to increased understanding of the relationship between chemistry and life.

The discovery of novel drugs that fill unmet medical needs is important for the health and well-being of people everywhere. However, the general public knows too little about the pathways through which basic research discoveries are translated into products that protect or restore human health. In the second edition of Hallelujah Moments, Eugene H. Cordes reveals the processes and pitfalls on the route from the laboratory bench to the bedside. These are adventure stories in which wit and grit created several of the most important drugs in human medicine. This new edition adds four new tales of drug discovery: for therapy of cancer, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and for weight control. The stories emphasize the integration of basic research in academe and applied research in the pharmaceutical industry and introduce the key scientists. In each case, success resulted from imagination, risk-taking, problem solving, and perseverance. Cordes shares his firsthand knowledge of the drug-discovery world, having spent a long and distinguished career in both academic and industrial settings. The eleven drug discovery tales take the reader from concept to clinic for some of the most important drugs in human health including the statins, ACE inhibitors, antibiotics, avermectins, Januvia, and Taxol. These stories offer exciting insights into the fascinating world of drug discovery.

Pharmeceutical drug discovery has wide-reaching and obvious effects on the lives of people everywhere, and yet the general public knows very little about the way in which these important products are conceived. We rely on pharmaceuticals to keep us healthy in countless ways, with almost no understanding of the process behind the creation of the drugs we use. in Hallelujah Moments, Eugene Cordes reveals just how some of the most important and influential drugs are made. He shares his firsthand knowledge of the drug-discovery world, having spent a long and distinguished career on both the academic and industrial side of pharmaceutical research. These tales are "adventure stories," and they follow important drugs like Proscar, Capoten, and Mevacor from the idea stage all the way to the point of being made publicly available. Cordes shows us the dynamic and critical thinking needed to create a useful drug, and the human stories of risk-taking, problem-solving, and, in many cases, failure. Written accessibly for a non-scientist audience, Hallelujah Moments brings the general public up to speed on the fascinating world of drug discovery like never before.