Small-Molecule Diversity and Synthetic Methods

The small molecule universe (SMU) is a collection of more than 1060 synthetically viable organic compounds having a molecular weight of less than 500 Da. Because of the large number of structures, mining the SMU is a difficult but appealing undertaking. Over the previous century, synthetic chemistry has created 60 million molecules.  Natural product motifs and diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) allow for the development of libraries with a wide range of potential structures. Small-molecule drugs are chemical molecules that target key proteins to influence molecular pathways. Because these chemicals have a low molecular weight, they can easily infiltrate cells. Small-molecule medications can be made from natural resources or from leads acquired through rational drug design. Target identification, target validation, hit identification, hit to lead, and lead optimization are all common steps in a target-based drug discovery project.

The procedures used to synthesize chemical substances are referred to as synthetic chemistry methodology. Medicinal chemists play an important role in drug development by selecting and synthesizing molecules that establish structure–activity correlations and demonstrate efficacy and safety in preclinical animal testing.

• Drug Discovery
• Structural Biology
• Mechanism Of Action
• Inhibitors
• Chemical Biology