Author: Galen Williamson
Major: Biochemistry
Approved: Spring 2020
Status: In progress
Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an enzyme that converts deoxyadenosine into deoxyinosine and adenosine into inosine. Deoxyadenosine is formed when DNA is broken down and is toxic to cells, so the presence of it would lead to their death. Inhibition of ADA could then be used to target harmful bacteria and kill them. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, and current treatment methods can last up to a year. By finding a method to inhibit the ADA of MTB, we can discover a possible new treatment. However, because of the ubiquity of ADA, we would also have to find a method that will only inhibit the ADA of MTB and not the ADA of people.
