Monika Schäfer-Korting – författare

This book provides latest findings in organotypic models in drug development and provides the scientific resonance needed in an emerging field of research in disciplines, such as molecular medicine, physiology, and pathophysiology. Today the research on human-based test systems has gained major interest and funding in the EU and the US has increased over the last years. Moreover, so-called 3R (reduce, replace, refine animal experiments) centres have been established worldwide.

This book provides latest findings in organotypic models in drug development and provides the scientific resonance needed in an emerging field of research in disciplines, such as molecular medicine, physiology, and pathophysiology. Today the research on human-based test systems has gained major interest and funding in the EU and the US has increased over the last years. Moreover, so-called 3R (reduce, replace, refine animal experiments) centres have been established worldwide.

Since the publication of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology Vol. 197 in 2010 there have been important advances in drug development, drug delivery and – more recently – drug targeting. This is in particular relevant with the new generation of drugs acting on the immune system and tumors. These are quite often accompanied by major adverse reactions. Safe therapy is, therefore, an important area of research, in particular in chronic diseases and in persons of old age. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to vaccinations against viral infections, and mRNA vaccines have been tested for vaccination in tumor therapy, too. Vaccine delivery has stimulated important research on carriers which may pave the way for other applications and enhance a path to e.g. CRISPR-cas therapy.

Since the publication of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology Vol. 197 in 2010 there have been important advances in drug development, drug delivery and – more recently – drug targeting. This is in particular relevant with the new generation of drugs acting on the immune system and tumors. These are quite often accompanied by major adverse reactions. Safe therapy is, therefore, an important area of research, in particular in chronic diseases and in persons of old age. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to vaccinations against viral infections, and mRNA vaccines have been tested for vaccination in tumor therapy, too. Vaccine delivery has stimulated important research on carriers which may pave the way for other applications and enhance a path to e.g. CRISPR-cas therapy.

In the view of most experts pharmacology is on drugs, targets, and actions. In the context the drug as a rule is seen as an active pharmaceutical ingredient and not as a complex mixture of chemical entities of a well defined structure. Today, we are becoming more and more aware of the fact that delivery of the active compound to the target site is a key. The present volume gives a topical overview on various modern approaches to drug targeting covering today’s options for specific carrier systems allowing successful drug treatment at various sites of the body difficult to address and allowing to increase the benefit-risk-ratio to the optimum possible.