Drug Action 2 Exam 2 Practice

Structure-activity relationship describes how changes in a molecule’s structure influence its biological potency across a series of related compounds. By examining how substitutions, stereochemistry, or ring changes affect activity, chemists identify which features boost potency and how to adjust them to optimize the whole series. This pattern-recognizing process guides how a lead compound is refined to become more potent while balancing other properties. The other terms describe stages or aspects of drug development rather than the direct link between chemical features and potency: lead optimization is the broader effort that uses SAR findings to improve a lead; hits are initial active compounds found in screening; and R&D spending is unrelated to the structure-activity connection.