DEVELOPING AND DESIGNING NEW CHEMICALS AND MATERIALS - Chemistry: Notable Research and Discoveries - page 28

these proteins, Zarivach, Strynadka, and their coworkers hope to spark
the development of drugs that interfere with this process. In 2006, the
researchers published “Structural Analysis of a Prototypical ATPase
from the Type III Secretion System” in Nature Structural & Molecular
Biology, which used X-ray crystallography and other techniques to de-
scribe the structure of one of the critical enzymes in this system.
Understanding the structures of both small and large molecules is
critical in developing and designing new materials. Speeding up a pro-
cess that normally involves years or even decades of work—and a lot of
frustrating dead ends—will not be easy. The study of protein kinases,
bacterial proteins, and many other molecules lays down the foundation
on which future drug design methodologies will rest. This work is just
beginning. Most medications, as well as materials used in engineering
applications, continue to be discovered the old-fashioned way—by rely-
ing on good luck or, lacking this, doggedly searching through a horde
of candidates until the right one is found. Yet progress is being made in
designing materials for a diverse group of applications, from computer
components to antibiotics.

ConCluSIon
Designing new chemicals and
substances is in its infancy, but
its maturation, should this oc-
cur, would affect almost every
aspect of technology and soci-
ety. Everything from medicine to
construction requires substances
having the properties necessary
to perform their function. New
materials are the crucible from
which new technologies emerge;
an engineer cannot build a novel
device without the appropriate
materials.
One of the most ambitious
engineering ideas to come along
in a while is a project known as the

The conventional means of
reaching space is by rocket.
(NASA)