TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Preface A1 - Renslo, Adam Y1 - 2016 N1 - T2 - The Organic Chemistry of Medicinal Agents AB - The chemistry of carbon-based molecules—their structures, intermolecular interactions, and reactivity—underlies life as we know it and thus also the beneficial (and sometimes undesired) effects of the medicines we use. The fact that rather simple organic molecules can be profoundly effective in treating human disease in all its complexity must rank among the most significant findings of medicine and basic science. For many students, this realization foments a desire to pursue a career in one of the various fields related to the discovery, study, or appropriate administration of medicines. In my own case, this meant embarking on the study of organic chemistry and learning how to synthesize organic molecules in the laboratory. Later, as a medicinal chemist working in the pharmaceutical industry, I experienced the thrill of seeing a few milligrams (mere specks!) of a newly synthesized compound cure an otherwise lethal infection in a mouse. A few such compounds would later be destined for studies in human patients, beginning the long and often perilous path toward the approval of a new drug. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1124842078 ER -