FAB: Basic Concepts and Practical Considerations

Abstract

The general theme of the conference, “from biological activity to structure”, has prevailed in the biological research laboratory for decades. Although the methods used are now more sophisticated and the questions asked more detailed, the general approach to solving structural problems is much the same. Typically, biological activity is identified and the source and/or storage site of the material is located. Usually, an assay is developed to follow this activity through purification and isolation procedures. Chemical characterization is accomplished by a wide variety of techniques, including classical procedures as well as modern analytical methods in order to deduce the structure of the molecule responsible for this activity. It is often the case that from structure we return to biological activity in several ways. For example, this may be by chemical synthesis of the molecule in the laboratory in order to produce greater quantities of the compound at decreased cost, or by chemical modification of the original compound in order to increase its potency, to change its physical and chemical properties, or to decrease its side effects.