CHAPTER 7: Fragment-Based Discovery of Allosteric Ligands

This chapter will focus on the challenges of applying FBDD to enzyme allosteric pockets. These include, differentiation from fragment hits bound to orthosteric sites and demonstrating the biological relevance of previously unknown allosteric pockets. The advantages and limitations of different biophysical screening methods will be discussed with a focus on X-ray crystallography for both hit identification and hit-to-lead optimisation. Recent advances in the literature will be highlighted, including approaches to both molecular probes and advanced lead compounds for drug discovery. A case study describing an inhibitor of HCV NS3 protein, acting via a novel allosteric mechanism, will be described.