The structure–activity relationship (SAR) is the relationship between the chemical structure of a molecule and its biological activity. This allows modification of the effect or the potency of a bioactive compound (typically a drug) by changing its chemical structure. Medicinal chemists use the techniques of chemical synthesis to insert new chemical groups into the biomedical compound and test the modifications for their biological effects.

Related publications:

 Elkamhawy, A., Ali, E.M. and Lee, K., 2021. New horizons in drug discovery of lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck) inhibitors: a decade review (2011–2021) focussing on structure–activity relationship (SAR) and docking insights. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 36(1), pp.1572-1600. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14756366.2021.1937143