Introduction

The 1st International Conference on Drug Design and Discovery (ICDDD) was organized on Feb. 4 -7, 2008 at the Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE. ICDDD 2008 was the first major international drug discovery related conference and exhibition in the middle eastern region aimed at presenting cutting edge advances in various disciplines of drug design and discovery. Over 600 leading industrial and academic experts from 58 countries around the globe presented their findings in the form of plenary lectures, invited lectures, session lectures and posters at this four-day conference. ICDDD 2008 offered an in-depth assessment of the challenges involved in the dynamic and fast moving field of drug discovery and development bringing together leading chemists, pharmacologists, biotechnologists, and other allied professionals to discuss and present the latest important developments in the field. ICDDD 2008 was a notable success and was the forerunner to successive annual editions of drug discovery conferences in the region till the present time.

This volume is a compilation of the review articles presented at the meeting and serves as a handy reference for readers and researchers alike seeking information about the progress of drug discovery research from the perspective of the middle eastern region.