Increasing risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the metabolic syndrome is a world health problem that demands attention from all levels of the health care industry. extensively covers the metabolic syndrome with an emphasis on drug discovery efforts, providing a context of molecular mechanisms and drug pharmacology for pharmaceutical scientists. The book starts by examining the physiology of metabolic tissues under normal and disease states, followed by discussions of metabolic diseases and clinical complications. The development of drug therapies based on emerging science is then covered extensively. In addition, there is an in-depth look into the metabolic pathways and dysfunctions in metabolic disease, especially type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders. Finally, a chapter is devoted to past successes and failures in metabolic drug discovery as well as an outlook on future development and challenges. Divided into four parts, the book: With a clear organization and extensive collection of references, the book is a user-friendly and unique tool for scientists in a variety of scientific disciplines in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.