Building on basics

Combinatorial Locksmith
(continued)

Once developed, these pep- tides can be armed with radioactive material that will destroy the targeted cells without damaging their healthy neighbors. The DeNardos and O'Donnell have already made important strides using radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies against such cancers as breast and prostate.

Lam is also collaborating with cancer center research director Kung to use combinatorial chem- istry to develop inhibitors for specific enzymes that trigger the aberrant behavior of cancer cells.

As revolutions go, the one in which Lam has enlisted is both quiet and expeditious. Hardly a blip on the horizon as the '90s began, combinatorial chemistry has mated with both genomics and robotics to create an unprecedented scientific collaborative that has revolutionized the way new drugs are developed.

Humans have always searched in nature for remedies to treat their maladies: a root here, a berry there, a bit of moss on a tree, a sea slug in the deep ocean. But with ever more sophisticated chemistry, the search for new drugs has shifted to the laboratory, where chemists can mix and match molecules to create millions of brand-new compounds in short order. This ability to custom-make effective drugs comes at a most propitious moment.