This unique book will provide an up to date and comprehensive account of the potential of peptides and proteins from animal venoms as possible therapeutics. The pharmaceutical industry has become increasingly interested in biologics from animal venoms as a potential source for therapeutic agents in recent years, with a particularly emphasis on peptides. To date six drugs derived from venom peptides or proteins have been approved by the FDA, with nine further agents currently being investigated in clinical trials. In addition to these drugs in approved or advanced stages of development, many more peptides and proteins are being studied in varying stages of preclinical development. Topics covered include chemistry and structural biology of animal venoms, proteomic and transcriptomic approaches to drug discovery, bioassays, high-throughput screens and target identification, and reptile, scorpion, spider and cone snail venoms as a platform for drug development. Case studies are used to illustrate methods and successes and highlight issues surrounding administration and other important lessons that have been learnt from the development of approved therapeutics based on venoms. The first text to focus on this fascinating area and bridging an important gap, this book will provide the reader with essential and current knowledge on this fast-developing area. Venoms to Drugs will find wide readership with researchers working in academia and industry working in all medicinal and pharmaceutical areas.

Take a look at Paul George's 6 feet, 9-inch (2.06 m) frame and you can see that he has all of the physical tools to be a great NBA player. After spending his first seven NBA seasons with the Indiana Pacers, he joined the Oklahoma City Thunder and altered the balance of power in the league's Western Conference. George has been named to six NBA All-Star teams, three NBA All-Defensive teams and was named All-NBA four times. He also won the league's Most Improved Player award for the 2012 - 2013 season. With the Thunder he hopes to add an NBA title to his list of accomplishments. Each book in the Hardwood Greats series gives you the reader a close-up look at some of the very best of today's NBA stars. The statistical leaders and championship winners go under the spotlight in a fun to read and visually interesting examination of the player's outstanding career. Each title in this series includes color photos throughout, and back matter including: an index and further reading lists for books and internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definitions--building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos are offered in chapters through the use of a QR code, that, when scanned, takes the student to an online video showing a moment in history, a speech, or an instructional video. This gives the readers additional content to supplement the text. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. And a Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter containing terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.

Step back in time with this memoir as a Rhode Island woman chronicles her childhood spent on a small island in Narragansett Bay in the 1950s. A memoir of reconnecting to long-forgotten childhood bonds and memories, Debbie Kaiman Tillinghast’s The Ferry Home embraces joyful moments with humor and more troubling emotions with compassion. If you have ever faced emotional challenges within your family or had a sibling relationship with both squabbles and shared mischief, if you have found peace in one memorable place, or if you have ever longed for any of these, then this book is for you. Experience the rhythm of life on Prudence Island, the ebb and flow of changing tides and seasons, and the patterns and relationships that emerge. It is a place where independence is fostered, but friends are always there when needed. As Debbie’s vivid accounts unfold, you will feel like you too have just stepped off the ferry and been embraced by the tiny Prudence Island community.

In recent years remarkable progress has been accomplished with respect to our knowledge about bacterial protein toxins. This refers especially to structural aspects of protein toxins but also holds true for genetics, molecular biology and biochemical mechanisms underlying the action of toxins. This volume covers the very current and exciting aspects of up-to-date bacterial toxicology and comprehensively reviews the most important bacterial protein toxins such as the intracellular acting toxins which exhibit enzyme activity, as well as those toxins that interact with cell plasma membranes by damaging the membranes (pore formation) or stimulating cell receptors (superantigens). This is the most current reference work on these important bacterial protein toxins, which are presented from the point of view of different disciplines such as pharmacology, microbiology, cell biology and protein chemistry.