An inorganic approach to drug design: Novel inorganic nucleases t

Copper aminoglycosides are demonstrated to be hi ghly efficie nt cleavage catalysts for DNA and RNA targets. Such catalysts mediate both oxidative and hydrolytic pathways and their cleavage reactions display enzyme-like Michaehs­ Menten kinetic behaviour. An unusual double-strand cleavage of DNA has been observed. Degradation of RNA viral motifs have been demonstrated in vitro, and the efficacy of such molecules against an ill vivo target has also been established usin g a novel in vivo assay. Chemical mechanisms underlying th e cleavage of RNA and DNA targets, recognition strategies, mechanisms of cellular delivery, and th e design of ill vivo assays have been presented.