Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design

Bioisostere

In medicinal chemistry, bioisosteres are chemical constituents or groups with identical physical or chemical properties which produce broadly similar biological properties to another chemical compound. In drug design, the purpose of exchanging one bioisostere for other is to enhance the desired biological sciences or physical properties of a compound without making significant advance in chemical structure. The main practice of this term and its techniques are related to pharmaceutical sciences. Bioisosterism is used to decrease toxicity, change bioavailability, or modify the activity of the lead compound, and may alter the drug metabolism of the lead.