Analyse different ligands docking to a single protein
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A Ligand binding assay (LBA) is an assay, or an analytic procedure, which relies on the binding of ligand molecules to receptors, antibodies or other macromolecules.[1] A detection method is used to determine the presence and extent of the ligand-receptor complexes formed, and this is usually determined electrochemically or through a fluorescence detection method.[2] This type of analytic test can be used to test for the presence of target molecules in a sample that are known to bind to the receptor.[3]
There are numerous types of ligand binding assays, both radioactive and non-radioactive.[4][5][6] As such, ligand binding assays are a superset of radiobinding assays, which are the conceptual inverse of radioimmunoassays (RIA). Some newer types are called "mix-and-measure" assays because they do not require separation of bound from unbound ligand.[5]
Ligand binding assays are used primarily in pharmacology for various demands. Specifically, despite the human body’s endogenous receptors, hormones, and other neurotransmitters, pharmacologists utilize assays in order to create drugs that are selective, or mimic, the endogenously found cellular components. On the other hand, such techniques are also available to create receptor antagonists in order to prevent further cascades.[7] Such advances provide researchers with the ability not only to quantify hormones and hormone receptors, but also to contribute important pharmacological information in drug development and treatment plans.[8]