"A lot of hard-won knowledge is laid out here in a brief but informative
way. Every topic is well referenced, with citations from both the
primary literature and relevant resources from the internet." Review
from Nature Chemical Biology
Written by the founders of the SPARK program at Stanford University,
this book is a practical guide designed for professors, students and
clinicians at academic research institutions who are interested in
learning more about the drug development process and how to help their
discoveries become the novel drugs of the future. Often many potentially
transformative basic science discoveries are not pursued because they
are deemed 'too early' to attract industry interest. There are simple,
relatively cost-effective things that academic researchers can do to
advance their findings to the point that they can be tested in the
clinic or attract more industry interest. Each chapter broadly discusses
an important topic in drug development, from preclinical work in assay
design through clinical trial design, regulatory issues and marketing
assessments. After the practical overview provided here, the reader is
encouraged to consult more detailed texts on specific topics of
interest.
"I would actually welcome it if this book's intended audience were
broadened even more. Younger scientists starting out in the drug
industry would benefit from reading it and getting some early exposure
to parts of the process that they'll eventually have to understand.
Journalists covering the industry (especially the small startup
companies) will find this book a good reality check for many an
over-hopeful press release. Even advanced investors who might want to
know what really happens in the labs will find information here that
might otherwise be difficult to track down in such a concentrated form."
