This book is a neurochemistry-based companion for Protein Misfolding and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Molecular Targets, an Elsevier title by the same author publishing in December 2014. While the first book focuses on biology and molecular targets, this companion book describes how these targets are regulated by small molecules and disease-modifying compounds. The book begins with a brief introduction to how key proteins become dysfunctional, and each subsequent chapter describes major disease mechanisms in Alzheimer's and other tauopathies. Properties and development status of these molecular targets and disease mechanisms are thoroughly described, as are small molecule effectors of autophagy and dis-aggregating agents.

Chemical Sciences in Early Drug Discovery: Medicinal Chemistry 2.0 describes how new technologies and approaches can be used to improve the probability of success in fulfilling the perennial goal of finding and developing new drugs. Drawing on the author's extensive experience consulting and teaching in medicinal chemistry, the book outlines ways in which medicinal chemistry is widening its reach to meet modern demands, and how modern technologies and approaches are facilitating this growth into new fields. Supported by examples throughout, the book is a practical resource for organic-medicinal chemists, biological chemists and pharmacologists involved in drug discovery.

Aimed at "drug discoverers" - i.e. any scientist who is interested in neurodegenerative diseases in general, and in finding disease-modifying treatments in particular - the first edition of Neurodegenerative Diseases: Molecular Targets and Disease-Modifying Compounds will contain both a detailed, discipline-specific coverage (paragraphs on medicinal chemistry, on clinical and preclinical characterization of compounds in development, on target identification and validation, on genetic factors influencing a pathology, etc.) and a drug discovery-oriented, overall evaluation of each target (validation, druggability, existing leads, etc.). Together these will satisfy the needs of various audiences, including "in vitro" biologists, pharmacologists, medicinal chemists, etc.
Written to provide a comprehensive coverage of disease-modifying mechanisms and compounds against neurodegenerative diseases
Provides a drug discovery application oriented perspective, evaluating targets and candidates for their overall therapeutic potential
Provides discipline-specific chapters (medicinal chemistry, target validation, preclinical and clinical development
Provides an overview on a number of molecular mechanisms (e.g. phosphorylation, chaperon refolding, ubiquitination, autophagy, microtubule transportation, protease cleavage, etc.) with relevance for any disease area
Contains a more thorough description of the therapeutic relevance of 10 specific molecular targets"