Question

Choose a cell structure or a step in the flow of genetic information to design an antibacterial or antifungal drug. Explain how the drug will have specificity against the microbe you have chosen and what function will be inhibited.

Answer 1

.An antibacterial or antifungal drug targets the essential biological process of fungus or bacteria which restricts it's growth or kills them. The drugs may be designed to target cell wall components , DNA or RNA synthesis , host interaction molecules and others. To design a drug against only specific to microbe but not to the host cells, we should select a process which is essential for bacteria or fungus but not targets host cell. For example proteins synthesis in bacteria is carried out in 70 s ribosome which can be target since eukaryotic host lacks 70s ribosome. Hence the agent would be sepcific to the targeted organism but not the host