Animal models of diseases play a pivotal role in drug discovery and development, not only for proof of the concept studies of efficacy, PK/PD relationship but also for drug safety assessment. Since considerable differences in variables exist between animal models and human models (such as genetics, physiology, anatomy, gene expression, heterogeneity of disease conditions, etc.), not all the preclinical models are able to represent the pathophysiological conditions in human diseases. Therefore, partly due to the lack of congruency between animal and human disease models, several proposed therapeutic agents in the past decades have been demonstrated to be effective in preclinical models but failed in clinical studies. This e-book focuses on animal models of diseases from a translational perspective and highlights the key advantages and limitations of each model described to facilitate drug discovery and development. A unique feature of the volume is that it contains a selection of details disease models in various therapeutic niches with significant unmet medical needs, including inflammation, neurological diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and oncology. This e-book is, therefore, of considerable value to researchers and clinicians involved in drug discovery and development as well as pathology.

`Ricin Toxin’ brings together a collection of in depth and cutting edge reviews that focus on the current understanding of ricin toxins. This e-book provides a historical background, innovations in detection, identification and medical countermeasures against this biothreat, and the toxin’s previous use as an anti-cancer agent. This e-book answers various important questions such as detection of ricin in food or soil, making of humanized antibody against the toxin, novel approaches for the creation of a safe vaccine to protect first responders, exploitation of toxin`s ability to bind and penetrate cells for medical benefits, aftereffects of administering antibody against ricin to a first responder and their exposure to the toxin, neutralization of different ricin from different castor plant cultivars. Aside from learning key concepts that may be overlooked while scanning literature, the reader will benefit from gems of information scattered throughout the book. The book comprises of five different parts. The first part covers the background of ricin from pharaohs to bioterrorists and beyond. The second part covers the discovery of recent technologies which are very helpful for the detection of ricin in different matrices, followed by the detection of ricin in the sorption of soils, minerals,textiles, and food; soil inflatration and dust transport. The third part covers the ricin and castor plant cultivars. It also discusses the antibody therapies such as Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies and the extraction of ricin toxin from several cultivars of the Castor Plant (Ricinus communis). The fourth part of this e-book discusses different medical countermeasures which are very effective in enhancing the progress in the development of vaccines against ricin intoxication. This part also describes different methods employed for the improvement of anti-ricin antibodies. The last part of this book describes the replacement and different applications of the toxin. All chapters are written by paramount experts in ricin research. `Ricin Toxin’ is an essential reading to all medical students, biochemists and professionals involved in the field of toxicology.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing can be viewed as a supply chain which spans from the production and purchase of the starting and packaging materials through the manufacture of dosage forms until the safe reception of the finished product by the patient. The entire chain comprises of several processes: auditing, materials purchase (procurement), production, storage, distribution, quality control, and quality assurance. The quality standard for pharmaceutical production is ‘current good manufacturing practice (CGMP)’‘, which is applied within the frame of a pharmaceutical quality system (PQS). This implementation, however, requires a scientific approach and has to take into account several elements such as risk assessment, life cycle, patient protection, among other factors. Hence, pharmaceutical manufacturing is a complex subject in terms of regulation, given the technical and managerial requirements. This comprehensive handbook describes CGMP for new professionals who want to understand and apply the elements which build up pharmaceutical quality assurance. The book gives details about basic quality control requirements (such as risk management, quality hazards and management systems, documentation, clean environments, personnel training) and gives guidelines on regulatory aspects. This is an ideal handbook for undergraduates studying pharmaceutical or industrial manufacturing and supply chains as well for entrepreneurs and quality control professionals seeking to learn about CGMP standards and implementing quality assurance systems in the pharmaceutical sector.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the localized drug delivery system landscape. The 10 chapters provide a detailed introduction in polymers, nanostructures and nanocomposites for developing localized controlled drug delivery systems (LCDDSs) in the form of stimuli-responsive delivery systems, targeted drug delivery systems or the combination of both. A discussion on manufacturing techniques, optimization, challenges and adaptation of LCDDSs for the treatment of a wide range of diseases is also included. This simple and informative resource conveys an understanding about designing novel drug delivery systems to students in advanced pharmacology, biotechnology, materials science and biochemistry study programs. Readers will be equipped with the knowledge of regulating drug release rates to get a desired pharmacological profile, that helps a researcher to ensure a high therapeutic effectiveness. The detailed information about various drug delivery systems and a compilation of recent literature sources also paves the way for research scholars to construct a drug targeting framework for their research plans.

This comprehensive reference explores medicinal plants, phytomedicines, and traditional herbal remedies as potential sources for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. It features 9 chapters authored and edited by renowned experts. The book specifically highlights the promising drug discovery opportunities grounded in bioactive compounds from medicinal plants and herbal medicines, offering insights into combatting SARS-CoV-2 infections and respiratory complications. Key Highlights: Drug Discovery Potential: Explores the vast potential of medicinal plants, phytomedicine, and traditional remedies against COVID-19, shedding light on groundbreaking drug discovery avenues. Cutting-Edge Insights: Provides up-to-date insights into the use of medicinal plants, herbal drugs, and traditional medicines in the fight against COVID-19. Natural Immune Boosters: Details the use of indigenous herbs, spices, functional foods, and herbal drugs for boosting immunity and preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections. Drug Repurposing: Highlights innovative drug repurposing strategies using phytomedicine-derived bioactive compounds and phytochemical databases for COVID-19 drug development. Additional features of the book include a reader-friendly introduction to each topic and a list of references for advanced readers. This timely reference is an informative resource for a broad range of readers interested in strategies to control COVID-19, including postgraduate researchers, and pharmaceutical R&D experts. It also serves as a handbook for professionals in clinical and herbal medicine.

Osteosarcoma is a rare bone tumor that has a high incidence among children and young adults. Despite recent therapeutic developments, osteosarcoma still presents major hurdles to achieving successful results, mainly due to the presence of multi-drug-resistant cells. This monograph primarily aims to provide information about the basic science behind the treatment of osteosarcoma along with experimental results for a novel formulation that overcomes multidrug resistance, and therefore, may serve as a viable treatment option. The book starts with an updated and concise guide to the pathophysiology of the disease, while also introducing the reader to new therapies and materials (specifically chitosan, polyethyleneimine, poloxamers, poloxamines, and Pluronics®) used in the treatment process along with the aims of the experiments present subsequently. Next, the book documents the materials and methods used in developing polymeric micelles for delivering drugs to osteosarcoma sites. By explaining the basics of nanomedicine as a starting point, readers will understand how polymeric micelles act as facilitators of drug transport to cancer cells, and how one can synthesize a small stable micelle (by creating derivatives of base nanomaterials), capable of actively targeting osteosarcoma cells and overcoming multi-drug resistance. The chapter explains the synthesis and characterization techniques of the materials used to develop polymeric micelles. The results, a reflection of the conjugation of different experimental solutions initiated here, point to a modern route towards the search for a therapeutic solution for osteosarcoma. The simple, structured presentation coupled with relevant information on the subject of micelle-based nanotherapeutic drug delivery make this monograph an essential handbook for pharmaceutical scientists involved in the field of nanomedicine, drug delivery, cancer therapy and any researchers assisting specialists in clinical oncology for the treatment of osteosarcoma.