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Macromolecular crystallography and what it can contribute to antiparasite drug discovery
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The May 2015 issue of
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Researchers have sought to understand the processes that allow pathogens to exist, to invade a host, to evade the immune response and to cause these debilitating and often fatal diseases. Structural biology, and in particular crystallography, complements such investigations. It can play a key role in drug discovery by providing accurate chemical information to guide the assessment of drug targets and computational design projects, in the search for pharmaceutical compounds.
This special issue includes fundamental studies in molecular parasitology and also research directed toward protozoan drug target characterization, including both NMR and crystal structures. The articles include an overview and perspective from Wim Hol, an inspirational champion for the role of crystallography in drug discovery. There is also a short review from Inari Kursula on cytoskeletal proteins related to the infection process, a topic that may provide opportunities in future drug discovery work.
The publication of this special issue represents an exciting new departure for