Book excerpt: This book illustrates the successful partnership of chemistry and biology to advance successful biotherapeutic modalities. Molecular design to create function is common to both chemical and molecular biology, and this text highlights recent developments from these disciplines that have delivered drugs, clinical candidates or significantly advanced biotherapeutic approaches. Biotherapeutics are often considered to be beyond the reach of the medicinal chemist, but this book demonstrates that chemistry has an essential role in the future success of this area, by explaining and describing the chemical biology technologies that underpin specific therapeutic advances and demonstrating the unique value of molecular design and understanding. Covering topics such as selective protein modification, immunopharmacotherapy, chemically programmed vaccinations, nanobodies and antibodies, this book provides essential reading for medicinal and pharmaceutical chemists working in both industry and academia.