Biomolecular approach to the design of potential drugs*
Upendra K. Pandit
Van't Hoff Institute of Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract: The approach to drug design on the basis of molecular-level information on biological processes is being driven by the expanding knowledge of the details of molecular events in biological systems. We have directed attention to the design of potentially active compounds based on the aforementioned "biomolecular" concepts. Selected examples from our studies are discussed. This paper presents three case studies of approaches to the development of potential medicinal agents whose design has evolved from considerations of molecular mechanisms of processes in selected biological systems.
Keywords: biomolecular chemistry; DNA biosynthesis; enzyme inhibitors; imino sugars; glucocerebrosidase.
*Paper based on a presentation at the 9th Eurasia Conference on Chemical Sciences, 9-13 September 2006, Antalya, Turkey. Other presentations are published in this issue, pp. 2101-2177.