Antibiotics

The Future of

Chemotherapeutic Agents

Another promising new approach is the use of short synthetic

strands of DNA, called antisense agents. The principle is to identify sites on the DNA or RNA of the pathogen that are responsible for the pathogenic effects. Segments of DNA are then synthesized that will selectively recognize and bind to the target site, a process that blocks the biosynthesis of the target protein.

Antisense agents

Complementary DNA or peptide nucleic acids that binds to a pathogen's virulence gene(s) and prevents transcription