Drugs from Nature: Targets, Assay Systems and Leads

This book provides an overview of the drug discovery process from natural sources such as plants and microbes. While technological advances have streamlined the drug discovery process, enhancing the throughput and success rates, the structural features of natural products remain the primary reference for small-molecule drug discovery.

Focusing on the drug targets blocked/altered by natural/nature-inspired molecules, it covers how potential drug leads are screened and identified using appropriate assay systems, and the current status of drugs identified using such approaches. State-of-the-art approaches in target identification, assay development, and lead identification have also been discussed in detail. Other topics included are targets and leads in inflammation, cancer, reproductive medicine, cardiovascular and neuromuscular ailments, and infectious diseases as well as the challenges in translating drug leads into clinically viable drugs.

This volume serves as a handbook for researchers in phytochemistry and drug discovery, and as a reference for researchers and students of applied biology.

Madhathilkovilakath Haridas did his doctoral and postdoctoral studies in structural biology at AIIMS, New Delhi and Massey University, New Zealand, respectively. He was the first biologist to get trained in X-Ray crystallography of single crystals of proteins. He has solved several animal and plant protein crystal structures. He has one hundred and fifty-plus international publications and thirty-plus chapters in edited volumes. He has one international and two Indian patents. He has guided 26 students for their Ph.D. He is the founding honorary director of the Inter-University Centre for Bioscience, Kannur University. He has served in various academic bodies of all tiers of all universities in Kerala. Currently, he is a serving member of the Biotechnology Commission Kerala, Biodiversity Board Kerala, Research Council Amrita School of Ayurveda Kollam, Research Committee Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Coimbatore, and Research and Ethical Committee of MVR Cancer Centre & Research Institute, Kozhikode.

Sabu Abdulhameed is a Professor at the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, India and is serving as Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University since January 2021. He received his Ph.D. from Cochin University of Science and Technology and served as a Scientist Fellow at CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram. He did his postdoctoral research in microbial fermentation and biotransformation in the USA and France. His research interests are in microbial fermentation, therapeutic enzymes, and the biotransformation of bioactive molecules. He has contributed extensively to fermentation and biotransformation in medicated wines and has four patents to his credit. Dr. Sabu has published six books and nearly 100 research papers in international journals. He is a recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from the Institute for Research and Development (IRD, France) and a Visiting Professorship from the Mexican Agency for International Cooperation and Development. He is also a member of many academic bodies and expert panels and serves on the editorial boards of numerous research journals.

Dr. Dileep Francis, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru, earned his Ph.D. In Life Sciences from Kannur University, India. Achieving an impressive all India rank of 60 in the CSIR-NET exam, he received research fellowships from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) during his doctoral studies. Dr. Dileep's research accomplishments include identifying a vaccine candidate for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. Currently, his focus extends to interventions in diagnosing and treating infectious diseases, with recent explorations in material sciences for biomedical applications. With a robust publication record encompassing high-impact journals, book chapters, and popular science articles, Dr. Dileep also serves as the editor of the Kristu Jayanti Journal of Core and Applied Biology. He is a life member of the Kerala Academy of Sciences, a research advisory committee member at Kristu Jayanti College, and coordinates the Star College Scheme of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, at the college.

Swaroop S Kumar is currently working as Assistant Professor, Department of Food Technology, Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally. Kerala, India. He earned his Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Kannur University, Kerala, India. He has eight years of experience and published several papers in reputed national and international journals with an h-index of 9 and 225 citations. He also has one patent to his credit. He has been an invited speaker in many seminars and workshops and mentored several undergraduate student projects. He is also a member of various institutional academic bodies. He has also been an external evaluator for the young investigator program conducted by Kerala Development and Innovation and Strategic Council (K-DISC). He is a life member of the Biotech Research Society of India. His current research interest includes the production, purification, and characterization of therapeutic enzymes, protein engineering, and the characterization of bioactive molecules