Drug development and design
Drug design and development is a comprehensive term referring to the overall process of bringing a new drug to the market: from discovery of a new molecule with therapeutic promise in preclinical research through optimization of the chemical synthesis on large scale to human clinical trials and commercialization. As most drugs are commonly small organic molecules produced through chemical synthesis, the function of organic synthesis chemists within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries continues to be critical for the drug discovery process. While industrial drug discovery research continues to be pushed harder to speed the time from invention to candidate nomination, access to new synthetic methods and technologies continue to provide new innovative solutions for both medicinal and process research chemists alike. Some of the speakers featured in this symposium have been chosen from among leaders and experts in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology areas to share their experiences in drug design and development and to showcase the importance of organic chemistry to that process.
Session organizer
R. Jason Herr, PhD, is an Associate Research Fellow within the Medicinal Chemistry Department of Albany Molecular Research, Inc (AMRI), a chemistry contract research organization (CRO) that provides scientific services including drug discovery, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing of active ingredients for many of the world's leading healthcare companies. Dr. Herr received his PhD in Organic Chemistry in 1994 from the Pennsylvania State University working under Professor Steven M. Weinreb. He then carried out postdoctoral research under Professor Douglass F. Taber at the University of Delaware, and then joined AMRI in 1996.
