Medicinal chemistry

   Medicinal chemistry is concerned with the chemistry of compounds that have a beneficial effect on a disease. Its objective is to enhance this beneficial therapeutic effect of a compound by modifying its structure and to remove unwanted side effects through an understanding of the chemistry by which the compound exerts its biological effects. Once a lead substance with a useful biological effect has been discovered, the medicinal chemist must undertake a series of structural variations in order to establish a pattern of structure: activity relationships leading to an enhancement of the useful biological effect. While the medicinal chemist is primarily concerned with the synthesis of new therapeutic agents, there must be a considerable interaction with other disciplines; medicine and biology for the description of the disease state and the development of the bio-assay, pharmacology for the definition of the site of action and pharmacy for the delivery of the compound to the living system.