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Why measure binding affinity?
Precisely characterizing biomolecular interactions in a biological system
is an important cornerstone in basic and applied research.
Almost every process in biology can be attributed to an interaction between
molecules. With the thousands of individual molecules that make up a cell,
researchers are challenged with determining which types of molecules interact
with each other and figuring out the consequences of these interactions.
Scientists use K
d
to "rank-order" binding reactions to infer their biological
function or to uncover the relevance of the targets being examined. The
more researchers know about these interactions, the more they understand
the biological systems in which they happen, with their intricate network of
molecular pathways that control various cellular processes.
Precisely characterizing biomolecular interactions in a biological system
is therefore an important cornerstone in basic research. In applied
science, measuring the binding affinity of interactions is a prerequisite
for the development of new products, such as drugs, enzymes or
biomarkers. Here, measuring binding affinity allows researchers to
identify and screen small and/or large molecules, monitor the regulation
of cellular pathways, screen compound and drug candidates, test structure-
function relationships, and optimize the development of assays that
examine the interaction of two molecules.
