Recent work has assessed the potential of peptide deformylase (PDF) as a target for broad spectrum antibacterial agents. By using a number of approaches, including proteomics, researchers at Roche have shown that the molecules they had selected in vitro were able to target PDF in vivo. However, the authors, having observed resistance occurring at a rather high frequency and on the basis of the recent discovery of a deformylase homologue in humans, suggest that PDF 'may not be an optimal target for broad spectrum antibacterial agents'. We link these data to results published by other laboratories and conclude that PDF deserves to still be considered a valuable target for new antibiotics.