Targeting regional economic development (TRED) has a long and rich tradition among academic economists and in the world of economic development practitioners. This book builds on a series of workshops and papers organized by The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) at the Pennsylvania State University and the Rural Policy Research Centre (RUPRI) at the University of Missouri. Through the coordinated efforts of NERCRD and RUPRI, a network of university based researchers and Extension education specialists was developed and provides the foundation of this new edited volume. For the first time in a single book, Goetz, Deller and Harris present an innovative approach through a collection of chapters discussing industry targeting and the relevance of TRED as an important analytical tool for practical targeting purposes. The papers present issues surrounding community economic development, clusters in industry and rural communities and the role of agglomeration economies. The book provides the reader with insights into not only the theoretical foundations of targeting as well as empirical methods, but also approaches for using the community-level analysis to affect policy directions.

The Millennium Development Goals accepted by the UN in 2000 are, along with the targets set by the OECD in 1996 the subject of this expertly written book. Is development achievable in the time frames given? How useful were the goals in the first place? How far have we come in solving the aching problems of the developing world? These questions and more and asked and answered. This impressive collection featuring an array of respected contributors and a preface from Mark Malloch Brown of the UNDP, will be required reading among development economists and those interested in development studies more generally. Perhaps more importantly, the lessons learned from this book shall need to be understood and acted upon by policy makers at both national and international levels.

The Millennium Development Goals accepted by the UN in 2000 are, along with the targets set by the OECD in 1996 the subject of this book. It asks and answers questions such as: Is development achievable in the time frames given? How useful were the goals in the first place? How far have we come in solving the problems of the developing world?

Improving and Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Nervous System Disorders is the summary of a workshop convened by the IOM Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders to examine opportunities to accelerate early phases of drug development for nervous system drug discovery. Workshop participants discussed challenges in neuroscience research for enabling faster entry of potential treatments into first-in-human trials, explored how new and emerging tools and technologies may improve the efficiency of research, and considered mechanisms to facilitate a more effective and efficient development pipeline. There are several challenges to the current drug development pipeline for nervous system disorders. The fundamental etiology and pathophysiology of many nervous system disorders are unknown and the brain is inaccessible to study, making it difficult to develop accurate models. Patient heterogeneity is high, disease pathology can occur years to decades before becoming clinically apparent, and diagnostic and treatment biomarkers are lacking. In addition, the lack of validated targets, limitations related to the predictive validity of animal models - the extent to which the model predicts clinical efficacy - and regulatory barriers can also impede translation and drug development for nervous system disorders. Improving and Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Nervous System Disorders identifies avenues for moving directly from cellular models to human trials, minimizing the need for animal models to test efficacy, and discusses the potential benefits and risks of such an approach. This report is a timely discussion of opportunities to improve early drug development with a focus toward preclinical trials.

Drug Targeting and Stimuli Sensitive Drug Delivery Systems covers recent advances in the area of stimuli sensitive drug delivery systems, providing an up-to-date overview of the physical, chemical, biological and multistimuli-responsive nanosystems. In addition, the book presents an analysis of clinical status for different types of nanoplatforms. Written by an internationally diverse group of researchers, it is an important reference resource for both biomaterials scientists and those working in the pharmaceutical industry who are looking to help create more effective drug delivery systems. Shows how the use of nanomaterials can help target a drug to specific tissues and cells Explores the development of stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems Includes case studies to showcase how stimuli responsive nanosystems are used in a variety of therapies, including camptothecin delivery, diabetes and cancer therapy