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Drug–DNA interactions and novel drug design

The Pharmacogenomics Journal volume 2, pages 275–276 (2002)Cite this article

Small molecules that bind genomic DNA have proven that they can be effective anticancer, antibiotic and antiviral therapeutic agents that affect the well-being of millions of people worldwide.

DNA is the pharmacological target of many of the drugs that are currently in clinical use or in advanced clinical trials. Targeting DNA to regulate cell functions by modulating gene expression or by interfering with replication seems logical, intuitively appealing and conceptually straightforward. With the new wealth of information provided by the Human Genome Project, it was expected that this information would lead to a quantum leap in the development of DNA-binding pharmaceuticals since this information should facilitate the elucidation of the roles that different genes play in important pathological processes. Pharmacology is thought to be a major potential beneficiary from the completion of the first draft of the Human Genome Project since in the post-genomic era, it seems quite plausible that in the near future it may be possible to combine genomics and pharmacology in order to administer specific individual treatments based on the individual's genotype. Although in the ‘post genomic’ era the fields of functional genomics and proteomics have been receiving increasing attention, many researchers feel that it is more efficient to treat a disease by designing drugs that act at the DNA or messenger RNA level rather than at the protein level.

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  1. D Gibson: Affiliated with the David R. Bloom Center for Pharmacy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

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  1. Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    D Gibson

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Gibson, D. Drug–DNA interactions and novel drug design. Pharmacogenomics J 2, 275–276 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.tpj.6500133

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