Combinatorial Chemistry in Molecular Recognition

The SPOCC centre works from a concept that molecular recognition is subject to so many subtleties that direct design of superior molecular interactions is not as efficient as a combinatorial approach where a recognition partner is selected from a large collection of putative ligands / receptors.   The structural basis of each library and privileged structures obtained through particular synthetic routes is ofcourse biased according to the target interaction investigated, however, several combinatorial iterations of synthesis and screening is usually required before satisfactory interactions have been established. During library design and interpretation of intermediate results Molecular Modelling is extremely useful, and performed well it can easily shorten the iterative combichem process significantly. The very nature of the combichem process call for extremely efficient assays for screening the target of interest, whether a cell surface receptor, a protease, a small molecule or a substrate for organic transformation. This in turn requires new solid supports with optimal properties for both synthesis and screening.