One of the reasons – Scientists can develop cures for diseases of particular relevance to Africa, that may not be receiving sufficient research attention.

The idea from structural biology is that structural information helps to elucidate protein function and, in particular, the mechanisms of enzymes. This understanding inspires the design of new drugs

Synchrotrons are very significant facilities for the imaging of bio-molecules.

Here are four excellent references to explain this further.

Firstly, John Westbrook and Stephen Burley report Structure : Perspective 27/2 (2019) 211-217 that there has been discovery and development of 210 new drugs which depended on the structural information, such as that identified by X-ray and other techniques.

Secondly, Alexander Wlodawer and Jiri Vondrasek write in Annu Rev Biophys Biomol Struct 27 (1998) 249-84 about the contribution of structure-based drug design to the success of developing drugs for HIV.

Thirdly, there is a listing of non-confidential information about drugs, their targets and the companies developing them based on structural information at this blog Practical Fragments.

Fourthly, in these papers, IUCrJ 4/4 (2017) 308-321 and Drug Discovery Today 22/3 (2017) 546-554, Tom Blundell looks at protein crystallography and drug discovery, and the interplay between academia and industry.

Here is also a thought provoking article on improving the efficiency of pharmaceutical R&D by Jack Scannell and others, Nature Reviews | Drug Discovery 11 (2012) 191-200.

Visit the AfLS page on Bioscience in Africa to see the increasing number of success stories from Africa.