Drug discovery in the 21st century: a necessary challenge

When one considers the progress made at the end of the past century and the dawn of the present one in controlling a wide range of illnesses, there is certainly room for optimism. Even so, it is undeniable that pathologies still exist for which no definitive or lasting solution has yet been found, whether because of their complexity (such as types of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases) or because solutions that had previously been developed have lost their effectiveness (as in the case of antibiotics). All this in spite of the progress that has been made in the world of biomedicine focusing on drug discovery as a whole, and despite the funding provided by industries in the pharmaceutical sector. In this presentation, the speaker will discuss these aspects from the perspective of research into medical chemistry carried out in a public institution, as well as presenting results that endorse the growing importance of the academic world in drug discovery.