Antibiotic Drug Discovery: New Targets and Molecular Entities.

Comprising a total of eight chapters and almost 300 pages, this book is the 58th volume of the appreciated Drug Discovery Series of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The book deals with one the most compelling problems medicinal chemistry is facing right now: bacterial resistance. The spread of bacteria resistant to the available antibiotic armamentarium is a serious threat to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that by 2050, bacterial resistance will cause 50 million deaths, thus becoming the leading cause of death worldwide. The scientific community is on alert, and solutions must be found rapidly; at present, even under the resurgence of antibiotic drug discovery, the pipeline of new antibiotics under development is slim, thus not encouraging that solutions are at hand. To fight resistant bacteria, the discovery and validation of new targets is crucial, and only innovative drugs with new modes of action can be a viable solution to curb the continued emergence and spread of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria. Internationally coordinated actions as well as consistent and continuous investments to support research in antibiotic drug discovery are necessary to increase the chances of success. In this perspective, the book discusses recent results on antibacterial drug discovery with particular attention to new targets and innovative strategies implemented to combat bacterial resistance. The book will be of interest to a large audience, not only to medicinal chemists in the field, to whom it can serve as a valuable point of reference, but to anyone wishing to follow the latest approaches in antibiotic drug design. The book is also valuable as a textbook for postgraduate students in medicinal chemistry: concepts are explained clearly and concisely throughout all chapters; sections are well organized and nicely illustrated; the quality of the diagrams and schemes, especially with regard to chemical structures, is uniform throughout the book. Most chapters have a reasonable length of around 20 to 40 pages with sufficient key references and one or more color figures, comprehensive tables, and detailed lists of discussed chemical analogues. Contents are easily accessible through the table of contents, while a subject index helps the reader to navigate the volume.