Lead generation is increasingly seen as a distinct andsuccess-determining phase of the drug discovery process. Overrecent years, there have been major advances in the understandingof what constitutes a good lead compound and how to improve thechances of finding such a compound. Written by leading scientistsand established opinion leaders from industry and academia, thisbook provides an authoritative overview of the field, as well asthe theory, practice, and scope, of the principal LeadGeneration Approaches in Drug Discovery, including:

• The evolution of the lead discovery process, key concepts,current challenges, and future directions

• Strategies and technologies driving the high-throughputscreening (HTS) approach to lead discovery, including the shiftingparadigms in the design of compound collections and best practicein the hit confirmation process

• Knowledge-based in silico or "virtual" screening

• Theory and practice of the fragment-based approach to leaddiscovery

• The opportunities and challenges presented by multi-target drugdiscovery (MTDD)

• De novo design of lead compounds and new approaches toestimating the synthetic accessibility of de novo?designedmolecules

• The impact of natural products on drug discovery, and potentialof natural product?like compounds for exploring regions ofbiologically relevant chemical space

• Using early screening of hits and leads for metabolic,pharmacokinetic, and toxicological liabilities to reduce attritionduring the later phases of drug discovery

• The utility of parallel synthesis and purification in leaddiscovery

With each topic supported by numerous case studies, this isindispensable reading for researchers in industry and academia whowish to keep up to date with the latest strategies and approachesin drug discovery.