TY - JOUR AU - Fallacara, Anna Lucia AU - Tris, Iuni Margaret Laura AU - Belfiore, Amalia AU - Botta, Maurizio PY - 2018/10/12 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - SMALL MOLECULES SOLVING BIG PROBLEMS: PRESENT AND FUTURE OF DRUG DISCOVERY JF - Journal of the Siena Academy of Sciences JA - J Siena Acad Sci VL - 9 IS - 1 SE - Lectio Magistralis DO - 10.4081/jsas.2017.7876 UR - https://www.pagepressjournals.org/jsas/article/view/7876 SP - AB - The Drug development process has undergone a great change over the years. The way, from haphazard discovery of new natural products with a potent biological activity to a rational design of small molecule effective against a selected target, has been long and sprinkled with difficulties. The oldest drug development models are widely perceived as opaque and inefficient, with the cost of research and development continuing to rise even if the production of new drugs remains constant. The present paper, will give an overview of the principles, approaches, processes, and status of drug discovery today with an eye towards the past and the future. ER -