This topical reference and handbook addresses the chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and the patentability of prodrugs, perfectly mirroring the integrated approach prevalent in today's drug design. It summarizes current experiences and strategies for the rational design of prodrugs, beginning at the early stages of the development process, as well as discussing organ- and site-selective prodrugs. Every company employing medicinal chemists will be interested in this practice-oriented overview of a key strategy in modern drug discovery and development.

Jarkko Rautio is professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and head of the multidisciplinary Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (PMC) research group at the School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland (formerly University of Kuopio), where he received his PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry in 2000. He subsequently carried out his postdoctoral studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA, and was a visiting scientist at GlaxoSmithKline, North Carolina, while also co-founding the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Prodrug Focus Group in 2005. Professor Rautio's research focuses on chemistry-based methods, especially prodrugs, to overcome the liabilities of drugs.

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