<i>Antiviral Research: Strategies in Antiviral Drug Discovery</i>. Edited by Robert L. LaFemina. Washington (DC): ASM Press. $169.95. xiii + 373 p. + 29 pl.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-1-55581-439-7. 2009.

Previous articleNext article FreeNew Biological BooksAntiviral Research: Strategies in Antiviral Drug Discovery. Edited by Robert L. LaFemina. Washington (DC): ASM Press. $169.95. xiii + 373 p. + 29 pl.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-1-55581-439-7. 2009.Erik De ClercqErik De ClercqRega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Search for more articles by this author Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreThis book contains 20 articles that must have been written in (or before) 2008. Its content is rather comprehensive. It covers antiviral drug approaches toward a number of important human viral pathogens including HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), HSV (herpes simplex virus), HCV (hepatitis C virus), SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), coronavirus, influenza virus, pox- and flaviviruses, with a few additional chapters on microbicides, phenotypic susceptibility assays for HIV, metabolism of antiviral nucleosides and nucleotides, interferon response, toll-like receptors, and new HSV replication targets. HIV and HCV are particularly well covered, but several other viruses such as polyoma-, papilloma-, adeno-, picorna-, and hemorrhagic fever (other than the flavi-) viruses are hardly touched upon. And so are the herpesviruses other than HSV—i.e., varicella-zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpesviruses type 6, 7, and 8 (VZV and CMV inhibitors are mentioned in Chapter 1 on antiherpesviral DNA polymerase inhibitors). The clinical aspects of HCV infection and treatment are well covered, but a similar chapter on hepatitis B virus (HBV), yet more prevalent than HCV, is lacking. HIV inhibitors targeted at either viral entry, reverse transcriptase, integrase, or protease are well described, but a synoptic view on the combination therapy with HIV inhibitors in clinical practice is not provided.From an aesthetic viewpoint, it is regrettable that the nice Chapter 10, Antiviral Targets in Orthopoxviruses, is interrupted (at least in the copy that I received) between pages 178 and 179 by 29 color plates, which should have better fitted in the chapters to which they belong or at the end of the book. All of the chapters have been carefully edited, are extensively referenced, and provide a comprehensive account on the topics they are discussing. The book concludes with an afterword with comments for further directions (although these comments have been apparently written independently from the regular chapters). Such an epilogue sets a laudable example for future volumes of this kind.In conclusion, the book offers a comprehensive snapshot on important antiviral drug strategies followed in the last decade for most, but not all, important viral pathogens, including HIV, HCV, HSV, influenza, SARS, pox- and flaviviruses. It should be of particular interest to those (experienced) readers who want to acquire recent information on the current state of the art in the antiviral drug research field. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 86, Number 1March 2011 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/658448 Views: 360Total views on this site Copyright © 2011 by The University of Chicago Press. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.