The vocabulary behind every mechanism on this site — pulled straight from the compound library, defined both precisely and plainly.
A molecule that binds to a receptor and activates it, triggering the same response as the body's natural signaling molecule.
A lab-made molecule engineered to closely resemble a natural compound, designed to activate the same pathway with modified properties like a longer duration.
A molecule that binds to a receptor without activating it, blocking the receptor from responding to its natural signal.
An immune protein (immunoglobulin) that recognizes and binds a specific target, either produced naturally or engineered as a drug.
A therapeutic that chemically links an antibody to a cytotoxic small-molecule payload, using the antibody to deliver the drug directly to targeted cells.
The specific molecule an antibody or immune cell is built to recognize and bind.
An enzyme that uses energy from ATP to actively transport ions or molecules across a cell membrane.
Derived from the same patient who will receive the treatment — cells are removed, modified, and returned to that same individual.
A therapeutic derived from or produced using living cells or organisms — typically a large, complex molecule like an antibody — as opposed to a chemically synthesized small molecule.
An engineered antibody built to bind two different targets at once, often used to physically bridge an immune cell to a target cell.
Common shorthand for an antagonist — a molecule that prevents a receptor or channel from activating.
A protein pore in a cell membrane that controls the flow of calcium ions in and out of the cell, important for muscle contraction and heart rhythm.
A cell therapy in which a patient's own T-cells are genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that targets a specific marker on diseased cells.
The enzyme in CRISPR gene-editing systems that performs the actual DNA cut, guided to its target by a matching guide RNA.
A drug that blocks an immune checkpoint protein cells use to avoid immune attack, releasing the brakes on the immune system so it can attack cancer cells.
A gene-editing technology that uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 enzyme to a precise location in DNA, where it cuts the strand to disable, repair, or modify a gene.
An engineered receptor fragment, often fused to an antibody Fc region, that intercepts a signaling molecule before it reaches the real receptor, without triggering a response itself.
The antigen-binding portion of an antibody, used alone — without the rest of the antibody — as a smaller, more targeted therapeutic.
An engineered protein made by joining parts of two different proteins into one molecule, combining both of their functions.
The direct, targeted modification of an organism's DNA sequence, as opposed to gene therapy approaches that add new genetic material alongside it.
A signaling molecule released into the bloodstream by glands or cells that travels to distant tissue to regulate a physiological process.
A molecule that reduces or blocks the activity of a specific enzyme, protein, or biological process.
A cell-surface protein that helps cells stick to their surroundings and to each other, playing a role in immune cell movement and inflammation.
An enzyme that adds a phosphate group to other proteins, often switching them on — a common signal for cell growth and division.
Any molecule that binds to a specific site on a receptor or protein, triggering a biological response — the term this entire site is named after.
A molecule that adjusts a receptor or protein's activity rather than simply switching it on or off — the effect can depend on context.
A lab-made antibody engineered to recognize and bind one specific target with high precision, produced from a single clone of immune cells.
Messenger RNA — a molecule that carries genetic instructions to a cell's protein-making machinery; some vaccines use a lab-made mRNA to have the body produce a viral protein and train immunity against it.
In an antibody-drug conjugate, the cytotoxic small molecule chemically attached to the antibody, released once delivered to the target cell.
A short chain of amino acids, smaller than a full protein, often used as the basis for engineered analog drugs.
An enzyme that builds new strands of DNA or RNA by copying an existing template — essential for both viruses and cells to replicate their genetic material.
An enzyme that cuts other proteins into smaller, functional pieces — some viruses depend on one to assemble new infectious particles.
An enzyme (H+/K+ ATPase) in stomach lining cells that pumps acid into the stomach; blocking it reduces acid production.
A protein, usually on a cell's surface, that receives chemical signals and triggers a response inside the cell.
An enzyme that catalyzes a reduction reaction in a biochemical pathway — HMG-CoA reductase, for example, is the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis.
A drug that blocks the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter back into the neuron that released it, increasing its available levels.
An enzyme certain viruses (retroviruses like HIV) use to convert their RNA genome into DNA, letting it integrate into a host cell's own genome.
A neurotransmitter that regulates mood, among other functions, and a common target of psychiatric medications.
A low-molecular-weight compound, typically synthesized chemically rather than biologically, that can often be taken orally and easily enters cells.
A drug that blocks a kinase enzyme — often one driving uncontrolled cell growth in cancer — from adding its activating phosphate signal.