Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology in Drug Research

1 Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology in Drug Research 

After proof of the functional role of DNA had been provided by Avery in 1944 [12], the race to solve the riddle of life began. Finally, in 1953 the key for understanding the mechanism of genetic information transfer was found by Watson and Crick by their ingenious concept of base pairing [13], Their work was based last but not least on Franklin s X-ray analysis [14] and the work of Wilson [15]. The eminent role of DNA, which contains all information required for the synthesis of all proteins in a living organism, has led to its-nickname, the molecule of life . 

Recombinant drugs, e.g., human insulin, plasminogen activator (tPA), interferons, interleukins, growth factors and others, constitute a steadily growing subset of drugs in the mar- 

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