This book provides a concise introduction to the medicinal chemistry of therapeutically active compounds. Written in an accessible style, it offers a brief overview of the drug development process, from discovery to approved drug.
Norma Dunlap is Professor Emerita of Chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University, where she specialized in synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry. Her research, done primarily with undergraduates and M.S. students, was focused on design and synthesis of bioactive peptidomimetics. She holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Wyoming and was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. She began her career as a Senior Research Scientist at Hoffmann-La Roche, in drug discovery. After moving to academia, she was a Lecturer at Vanderbilt University before moving to Middle Tennessee State University.
Donna M. Huryn is Professor of Practice in the Chemistry Department at the University of Pennsylvania where her research focuses on medicinal chemistry projects on novel drugs to treat kidney disease, cancer and rare genetic diseases. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She started her career in industry at Hoffmann-LaRoche and then Wyeth Research before joining academia; she was previously a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Chemical Society and was inducted into the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame. She is recipient of the ACS Philadelphia Local Section Award, the Philip S. Portoghese Lectureship, and the Garvin-Olin Medal. From 2014-2023 was Associate Editor of ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. In 2019, she co-founded Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry (EWOC), and continues to serve on the organizing committee.
