This volume covers contemporary advances in five important areas of pharmacology and medicinal chemistry including: a comprehensive account of inhibitors of the caspase family of proteolytic enzymes that represent a new class of anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic agents of potential value in rheumatoid arthritis, and other peripheral and central indications; adoc umented survey of semi-synthetic and totally synthetic antibiotics and anti HIV agents and their sites of interaction; inhibitors of the intracellular enzyme acyl-CoA: cholesterol O-acyltransferase (ACAT) developed for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia; and recent progress in growth hormone secretagogues, with the focus on strategies to improve oral bioavailability and duration of action. Inhibition of the proteolytic enzyme, hepatitis C protease N-3(NS3), required for viral replication, is one of the most attractive targets for HCV infections. Progress and prospects in the design of peptide and non-peptide inhibitors are described here. design and clinical potential of new drug molecules; valuable summaries of structure-activity relationships in topical areas of medicinal chemistry; and extensive references to the biology, medicinal chemistry and clinical aspects of each topic.