Fragment-based discovery: using smaller molecules to solve larger challenges

To discover new drugs and chemical probes, researchers have traditionally screened small molecules—small enough by weight to pass through cell membranes. Their goal is typically to find compounds that selectively bind to a much larger protein molecule (often an enzyme) at a chemically reactive pocket known as the active site, inhibiting its activity to treat a disease or to better understand a biological process.
Source: UCSF School of Pharmacy News - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Source Type: news