Conquest of Invisible Enemies - A Human History of Antiviral Drugs

In his latest book, science writer and medicinal chemist Jie Jack Li guides readers through the history of viruses, vaccines, and antiviral drugs. Li chronicles the discovery and treatment of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, influenza, and coronaviruses. Throughout, Li focuses on how viruses have shaped human history and on the individuals who developed treatments.

List of contents

• Preface


• Chapter 1. Virus Shaping History and Discovery of Virus


• 1.1 Virus shaping history


• 1.1.1 Tulipomania: bubbles of bulbs


• 1.1.2 The fall of old Mexico and Peru


• 1.1.3 Succession of thrones


• 1.1.4 The Louisiana Purchase


• 1.2 Discovery of virus


• 1.2.1 The gem theory


• 1.2.2 Discovery of virus


• 1.2.3 Cancer-causing viruses


• 1.2.4 Discovery of retrovirus


• Chapter 2. HIV/AIDS Drugs, Transforming a Death Sentence to a Chronic Disease


• 2.1 Discovery of the virus


• 2.1.1 A death sentence


• 2.1.2 Discovery of HIV and the great scientific controversy


• 2.1.3 The Nobel Prize


• 2.2 The first ray of hope


• 2.2.1 Nucleoside antiviral drugs


• 2.2.2 Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors


• 2.3 HIV protease inhibitors


• 2.3.1 HIV protease


• 2.3.2 First-generation HIV protease inhibitors


• 2.3.3 Second-generation HIV protease inhibitors


• 2.4 HIV integrase inhibitors


• 2.5 HIV Entry Inhibitors


• 2.5.1 HIV fusion inhibitors


• 2.5.2 CCR5 inhibitors


• 2.6 Triumph of modern medicine


• Chapter 3. Hepatitis Drugs


• 3.1 Hepatitis A virus


• 3.1.1 Discovery of hepatitis A virus


• 3.1.2 Hepatitis A vaccines


• 3.2 Hepatitis B virus


• 3.2.1 Discovery of hepatitis B virus


• 3.2.2 Hepatitis B vaccines


• 3.2.3 Hepatitis B drugs


• 3.3 Hepatitis C virus


• 3.3.1 Discovery of Hepatitis C virus


• 3.3.2 Hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protease inhibitors


• 3.3.3 Hepatitis C virus NS5A replication complex inhibitors


• 3.3.4 Hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase inhibitors


• 3.4 Triumph of modern medicines


• Chapter 4. Influenza: A Perennial Killer


• 4.1 Influenza, a perennial killer


• 4.2 A virus that changed the world: the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic


• 4.3 Discovery of the influenza virus


• 4.4 Influenza vaccines


• 4.4.1 History of vaccination


• 4.4.2 History of influenza vaccines


• 4.4.3 Influenza vaccines today


• 4.5 Influenza drugs


• 4.5.1 M2 inhibitors


• 4.5.2 Influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitors


• 4.5.3 Cap-dependent endonuclease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribonuclease inhibitor


• Chapter 5. Coronaviruses


• 5.1 Coronavirus Drugs


• 5.1.1. SARS


• 5.1.2. MARS


• 5.1.3. SARS-CoV-2


• 5.2 COVID-19 Vaccines


• 5.2.1. Pfizer/Biotech's mRNA vaccine


• 5.2.2. Johnson and Johnson's viral vector vaccine


• 5.3 COVID-19 Drugs


• 5.3.1. Remdesivir (Veklury)


• 5.3.2. Dexamethasone


• Chapter 6. Closing Remarks


• Bibliography


• Chemical Structures of Antiviral Drugs

About the author

Jie Jack Li is the CSO of GenHouse Bio. Previously, he was VP of Discovery Chemistry at ChemPartner, an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of San Francisco, and a Medicinal Chemist at Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb. He has authored or edited over 30 books, including Blockbuster Drugs (Oxford University Press, 2014), which won the 2015 Alpha Sigma Nu Science Book Award.

Summary

It's time to examine the human history of viruses, vaccines, and antiviral drugs...

Public response to the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that misinformation about viruses is widespread. Vaccine skepticism is rampant, and many people have been quick to accept bogus claims unsupported by science. In his latest book, Jie Jack Li sets the record straight by revealing the science and history behind antiviral drugs.

Conquest of Invisible Enemies: A Human History of Antiviral Drugs guides readers through the history of viruses, vaccinations, and treatments. Readers learn about the discovery of viruses and diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The first chapter takes an expansive look at how viruses have shaped human history. Subsequent chapters narrow in on specific viruses, diseases, and drug treatments. For example, chapter four, on influenza, looks at the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the history of vaccination efforts, and influenza drugs and vaccines today. Chapter five, on coronaviruses, considers drug treatments for SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2. It also discusses the development of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs.

Conquest of Invisible Enemies: A Human History of Antiviral Drugs focuses on the human drama behind drug discovery. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Li's timely book dispels common misconceptions about viruses and treatments and places the COVID-19 pandemic in historical context.

Additional text

After summarising current vaccine research and the hunt for a universal vaccine, Li provides an overview of an tiviral influenza treatments from M2 ion channel inhibitors to neuraminidase inhibitors such as Tamiflu.

Product details

• Authors: Jie Jack Li, Jie Jack (Vice President Li, Li Jie Jack
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 06.11.2022
• EAN: 9780197609859
• ISBN: 978-0-19-760985-9
• No. of pages: 280
• Dimensions: 150 mm x 215 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Pharmacy; SCIENCE / History, MEDICAL / Pharmacology, MEDICAL / History, biochemistry, History of Medicine, Psychopharmacology