Stanislav R‡dl was born in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia in 1951. In 1976 he graduated from the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology and then joined the Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry in Prague where he received his CSc degree (a Ph.D. equivalent) for his work on low-molecular weight interferon inducers in 1983. After that he became a Senior Researcher in a group involved in research into antibacterial quinolones and since 1986 till 1991 he led this group. In 1992 and 1993 he spent nearly two years as a Visiting Scientist at Hoffmann-La Roche in Nutley (NJ, US). Presently, Dr. R‡dl is involved in research into analgesics in the Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry as a project leader.

Besides medicinal chemistry and molecular modeling, Dr. R‡dlâs research interests include mainly synthetic aspects of various nitrogen-containing heterocycles. He co-authored many original articles on antibacterial quinolones, as well as several reviews on various aspects of this group of therapeutic agents. Dr. R‡dl has also published two chapters of Advances in Heterocyclic Chemistry and one chapter of the Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry II. He is an editor of an international journal Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications and contributing editor of Drugs of the Future.

Jitka Urb‡nkov‡ participated in this project as an undegraduate student of the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology during her laboratory practice at the Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Prague.

Petr V‡chal participated in this project as an undegraduate student of the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology during his laboratory practice at the Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Prague.

Dr. Jan Taimr is an NMR specialist of the Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Prague.