Protein-Ligand Interactions: From Molecular Recognition to Drug Design

The lock-and-key principle has still not lost any of its significance. The basic aspects of ligand-protein interaction may be summarized under the term ‘molecular recognition′ and concern the specificity as well as stability of ligand binding. Molecular recognition is thus a central topic in the development of active substances, since stability and specificity determine whether a substance can be used as a drug. Nowadays, computer-aided prediction and intelligent molecular design make a contribution to the constant search for improved enzyme inhibitors, and new concepts such as that of pharmacophores.