DNA technology yields diverse drug leads

Abstract

A new DNA technology that creates unnatural metabolic pathways may dramatically increase the variety of compounds available to pharmaceutical companies as leads for drug discovery. The technology—dubbed combinatorial biology—was described last month at the 2nd Annual Marine Biotechnology Symposium of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., by pharmaceutical consultant Janice E. Thompson, a scientific adviser to ChromaXome, a small, privately held firm based in San Diego. ChromaXome developed the method and will soon announce a partnership to exploit the technology with a key combinatorial chemistry company. A vexing problem with drug leads from marine sources is continuing supply—obtaining material for further studies and clinical testing once a compound shows promise. Culturing marine organisms is often difficult. ChromaXome has found a way to get around growing cultures: Take DNA from the original organism and put it in bacteria that people know how to grow, such as Escherichia coli . The...