This monograph provides an assessment of the number one concern in contemporary drug development, namely how toxic side effects can be predicted and thereby prevented before a drug enters the clinical trial stage. In first part, general concepts of drug toxicity and adverse drug reactions are surveyed, based on the most recent scientific evidence, while the second part contains an in-depth analysis of modern in vitro methods in predictive toxicology. The third and final part is devoted to the discussion of future challenges facing the pharmaceuticals industry. With its emphasis on current and future developments, this is key knowledge for every professional in the drug development business needing to stay ahead of the competition.
PRINCIPLES AND THEORY OF DRUG SAFETY PRACTICE Introduction Role of
drug design in toxicity: an industrial perspective Mechanisms of cell death:
apoptosis and necrosis Organ-specific toxicity Paracetamol hepatotoxicity:
lessons from a model toxin EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN PREDICTIVE TOXICOLOGY
Molecular biology methods Proteomics Metabolomics FUTURE CHALLENGES
Overview: Challenges for toxicity prediction Biologics and small molecule
immunomodulators Case study and lessons learnt: Northwick Park 2006
Kevin Park heads the department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Liverpool University, UK. He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed publications and sits on the Physiological Systems and Clinical Sciences panel of the Medical Research Council. Among other honors bestowed upon him, he has received the Sandoz Prize, the Pfizer Medal for Innovative Science, and the SmithKline Beecham Prize. Dominic Williams is a lecturer at Liverpool university, where he also completed his academic degrees. In 2006, he was awarded the British Toxicology Society Young Investigator Award. The main focus of his research lies with the metabolic basis of adverse drug reactions. Daniel Antoine is a Ph.D. student at the University of Liverpool in the group of Kevin Park and Dominic Williams. Before reentering university to pursue his Ph.D. research, he has worked in drug safety research in the pharmaceutical industry.