Bacterial genome sequencing and drug discovery

The availability of bacterial genome sequence information has opened up many new strategies for antibacterial drug hunting. There are obvious benefits for the identification and evaluation of new drug targets, but genomic-based technology is also beginning to provide new tools for the downstream, preclinical, optimisation of compounds. The greatest benefit from these new approaches lies in the ability to examine the entire genome (or several genomes) simultaneously and in total. In this way, one potential target can be evaluated against another, and either the total effects of functional impairment can be established or the effects of a compound can be compared across species.