An Integrated Approach Towards Development of Highly Specific Chemotherapeutics (2005-2007)

Bimetallic hydrolases play a crucial part in metabolism and many human disorders are linked to the functions of members of this large class of enzymes. In this project the geometric and electronic structures and reactivity of the active sites of two enzymes in this class and related model complexes will be investigated using several interrelated techniques. That the two enzymes work by variants of the same basic chemical mechanism will be confirmed and the mechanism for each enzyme will be defined with high precision. This knowledge will allow the design of inhibitory compounds of broad pharmaceutical interest. In the immediate sense the work will provide the basis for the generation of potent molecules with anti-osteoporotic activity