MOLECULAR DIVERSITY AND LIBRARIES OF STRUCTURES - SYNTHESIS AND SCREENING

Library, or molecular diversity, approaches are a progressive tool in contemporary investigation of biological interactions and drug discove ry. All library approaches include certain degree of rationality and c annot be therefore classified as random or irrational techniques. Revi ewed techniques are complementary to so called ''rational design''; th ey tan serve either as a tool to generate a lead, or, on the other han d, to optimize a ''designed'' lead by rapid evaluation of structure-ac tivity relationships. Combinatorial approaches are based on either a r andom or multiple principle which enables production of large number o f diverse molecular structures that can be simultaneously screened and evaluated in a biological assay to find an optimal interacting molecu le.