Monday, 4 November 2019

molecular biology - How do we find antibiotics?


So the last class of antibiotics were made in 1984 (I think), which makes it appear as though they are hard to find(/design maybe). How is it then they were discovered? Was it by chance? I know some where accidents, but how are the majority found, testing lots of chemicals on your target?


I imagine now we would have the capability to quickly identify structures and molecules unique to pathogens and be able to model them on a computer, and generate suitable proteins or other compounds that can interfere with their bonding/properties to damage the pathogen?


For something like a 70s ribosome in a pathogen, what is the process of being able to understand its structure, its shape, etc? How much effort does it take to model onto a computer? Or instead a single protein (as a 70s ribosome will be more complex), how long does it take to model a new protein?


Thanks for any help :)




No comments:

Post a Comment

evolution - Are there any multicellular forms of life which exist without consuming other forms of life in some manner?

The title is the question. If additional specificity is needed I will add clarification here. Are there any multicellular forms of life whic...