Laser Technique May Make Drug Discovery Easier

According to a release from Vanderbilt University, the ability to measure interactions between the proteins in a cell's membrane and the molecules you're testing is a big deal to perform since about half the drugs currently on the market target membrane proteins. That's because about 30 percent of the 7,000 proteins live in the membrane. The membrane proteins, in turn, initiate 60 to 70 percent of the signals controlling the cell's machinery.

Unfortunately, current methods of measurement are not ideal since they either involve taking the membranes out of their natura