Glossary of Scientific Terms

What is a molecule?

A molecule consists of atoms which are connected by bonds. The molecules displayed in the THINK screen saver cost of typically 50-100 atoms displayed as balls which are connected by lines.

What is a protein target?

The protein targets occur in the human body usually in the cancer cells. The software evaluates the potential of the small molecules to inhibit the normal function of the protein which might result in sufficient disruption to the biochemistry of the cell that it cannot grow or survive.

Which protein targets have been chosen for this project?

The choice of the first four targets has been finalised and there is a short list for the remaining 12. These will not be finalised until shortly before they are needed which will allow us to accommodate any new protein crystal structures or models which come into the public domain.

What is a pharmacophore?

A pharmacophore is the minimum characteristics which a molecule must exhibit in order to show biological activity. In this project the pharmacophores which might be associated with interactions with the protein are matched with those in the small molecules.

What is a Combinatorial Chemistry library?

Combinatorial Chemistry is an approach which improves the productivity of the chemist by making molecules in parallel. This is possible by combining sets of chemical reagents eg 8 amines and 10 acid chlorides to give 80 amides. Robots are available for making large libraries but only some chemical reactions can be used in this way.