DRUG DISCOVERY FOR THE NONEXPERT
by Benjamin Levinson, MD Drug discovery is a long and complicated process that entails the search for, and development of, an agent (chemical or biological) that will offer treatment of a human malady. A drug company invests extensive time and resources into this search. As one professional has said, ‘We find a chemical or biological substance and then wrap in scientific data to treat a disease of interest.’ This process of discovery begins in the laboratory and only after a successive series...