Drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry has important consequences for the health and wellbeing of people everywhere. However, the general public knows little about the paths through which basic research findings are translated into products that protect or restore human health: the route from the laboratory bench to the bedside. In Hallelujah Moments, Eugene Cordes reveals how some of the most important and influential drugs have been brought into the practice of clinical medicine through the wit and determination of scientists in academia and industry. He shares his firsthand knowledge of the drug-discovery world, having spent a long and distinguished career in both the academic and industrial settings. These tales are "adventure stories," and they trace the route of important drugs like Januvia, Primaxin, Capoten, and Zocor from concept to the clinic. Cordes shows us the dynamic and critical thinking needed to create a drug that meets important health needs. These are human stories of imagination, risk-taking, problem-solving, and perseverance. Written accessibly for a non-scientist audience, Hallelujah Moments provides insights into the fascinating world of drug discovery like never before.

Dr. Eugene Cordes has served as Vice President of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Research Laboratories of Merck and Company and as President of Research and Development at Sterling Winthrop Pharmaceuticals Inc. In addition he has been a professor at Indiana University and the University of Michigan. He is the author of The Tao of Chemistry and Life (OUP 2009) and several biochemistry textbooks.

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Seduced by drug discovery Chapter 2: The small molecules of life Chapter 3: Proteins: molecular wonders in three dimensions Chapter 4. Proteins perform multiple functions: enzymes, receptors, ion channels Chapter 5: Drug discovery and development: the road from an idea to promoting human health Chapter 6: Finasteride: the Gary and Jerry show Chapter 7: Basic research, snake venoms, and ACE inhibitors: Ondetti, Cushman, and Patchett Chapter 8: Statins: protection against heart attacks and strokes Chapter 9: The perils of Primaxin Chapter 10: Avermectins: molecules of life battle parasites Chapter 11: Fludalanine: nice try but no hallelujah Chapter 12: Diabetes Breakthrough: Januvia and Janumet