Structure-Based Drug Design
![[Image of DHFR enzyme]](dhfr.gif)
In applying a rational approach to a drug design project,
scientists perform experiments to gain greater understanding
of drug-receptor interactions in order to delineate
the different molecular forces involved in binding interactions
and the molecular recognition process.
This is particularly important in addressing species specificity
for a particular biological system.
For example, the antibiotic trimethoprim
is an effective antibacterial agent,
resulting from its ability to bind more effectively to
bacterial dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) (left image above)
than to eucaryotic DHFR (right image).
Current research on inhibitors of DHFR from
P. carinii,
a causative bacteria of pneumonia in AIDS patients,
and human DHFR has led to the design and synthesis
of new, selective inhibitors of
P. carinii.
tef@cgl.ucsf.edu / March 1998