At micromolar and sub-micromolar concentrations, many drug-like organic molecules aggregate into colloids in aqueous media. These aggregates sequester protein targets without specificity, inhibiting them. The colloids are sensitive to assay conditions and target concentration, which can give an illusion of specificity, but this illusion can be rapidly dissipated by a few well-controlled experiments.  I will summarize the range of molecules that can behave this way, and recent expansion of the number of assays and milieus in which colloids can be active, including membrane-bound receptor assays and cell-culture assays.  Recent research on their affects on drug distribution in vivo will also be considered.

Colloidal aggregates in vitro and in vivo (or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb)

246th National Meeting (2013)

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