Binding Specificity and Causal Selection in Drug Design
(2020) Philosophy of Science : official journal of the Philosophy of Science Association — Vol. 87, n° January 2020, p. 70-90 (2020)
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- Abstract
- Binding specificity is a centrally important concept in molecular biology, yet it has received little philosophical attention. Here I aim to remedy this by analyzing binding specificity as a causal property. I focus on the concept’s role in drug design, where it is highly prized and hence directly studied. From a causal perspective, understanding why binding specificity is a valuable property of drugs contributes to an understanding of causal selection—of how and why scientists distinguish between causes, not just causes from noncauses. In particular, the specificity of drugs is precisely what underwrites their value as experimental interventions on biological processes.
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Lean, O. (2020). Binding Specificity and Causal Selection in Drug Design. Philosophy of Science : official journal of the Philosophy of Science Association, 87(January 2020), 70-90. https://doi.org/10.1086/706093 (Original work published 2020)