Medicinal Chemistry research in BMED focuses on the design, chemical synthesis and development of bio-active molecules and pharmaceutical agents for a diverse array of biomedically relevant targets, such as the development of diagnostics, therapeutics and imaging agents as applied to a range of pathological conditions including CNS diseases and cancer.<br><br>While always an integral part of Pharmacy and therapeutic drug discovery, Medicinal Chemistry has grown to embrace many other facets of small molecule development and application, including: biomarkers, fluorescent probes, molecular modeling, high-throughput screening, diagnostics, and imaging agents. BMED faculty working in these areas have expertise in synthetic chemistry, analytical chemistry, molecular modeling and structure-activity analysis. Current projects include the development and characterization of small molecules relevant to the cholinergic system, neurotransmitter receptors and transporters, cannabinoids, drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters, DNA-binding agents, and enzyme-activated prodrugs. In addition to their own research projects, the Medicinal Chemistry faculty are routinely involved in intramural and extramural collaborations, providing much needed reagents to other BMED researchers for physiological, biochemical and pharmacological projects.