The objectives of the research program are (i) to elucidate the relationship between physiochemical properties and chemical structures of the drugs, and (ii) also to understand the exact molecular mechanism by which these drugs inhibit nucleic acid and protein synthesis. The drugs chosen for studies are rifamycin SV, rifamycin S, holomycins, nogalamycins, adriamycins, aclacinomycin, steffimycin, anthramycin, sibiromycin, tomaymycin, neothramycin, gramicidins, virginiamycin, astreogrycin, chromomycin, olivomycin, echinomycin, bleomycin, bouvardins, edeines, and mitomycins. Also complexes of these drugs with fragments of mucleic acids and proteins will be investigated. The methods used for investigations will be mainly X-ray crystallography, NMR and computer graphics. The results of these investigation will help reveal the sites of interaction of these drugs to the target molecules and thus models for drug-receptor interaction can be postulated. Also modifications to the structures of the drugs can be postulated to enhance their therapeutic selectivity.
