ISOTHERMAL MICROCALORIMETRY FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF INTERACTIONS BETWEEN DRUGS AND BIOLOGICAL-MATERIALS

Studies of interactions between drugs and biological material form a b road application area for isothermal microcalorimetry. Characterizatio n of binding of drugs and related compounds to well-defined biological substances by use of titration microcalorimetry is a very important a rea. This technique has now been taken into use in practical work (''r ational drug design'') by several laboratories in the pharmaceutical i ndustry. More fundamental studies of solute-solvent interactions for d rugs and for simple model systems should be encouraged. Microcalorimet ric techniques suitable for investigations of the effect of drugs on m icroorganisms and animal cellular systems have been much developed dur ing recent years. However, few scientific groups are presently active in this field and it seems as if the technique has not yet been adopte d by R&D laboratories in the pharmaceutical industry or in applied cli nical work.