02/11/2026
Can a crowded environment actually help molecules find their targets? 🎯
Inside our cells, molecules are anything but alone! 👬👫👭
New research from the Molecular and Cellular Modeling (MCM) group at HITS, led by Prof. Rebecca Wade, reveals surprising effects of macromolecular crowding on drug-protein binding. While molecular crowding can slow down movement and block binding sites, it can also enhance binding by guiding molecules closer together.
Using innovative multiscale simulations, Riccardo Beccaria, one of the first authors of the study, and his colleagues uncovered how crowded environments influence both binding rates and the pathways molecules take to connect.
🔗 Discover the research: https://www.h-its.org/2026/11/02/lost-in-the-crowd-how-crowding-affects-drug-protein-binding/
