Receptors and receptor binding methods in drug discovery.

Receptor binding methods provide the most direct measure of drug-receptor interaction currently available. They provide information, inexpensively, rapidly, and reliably on the interaction of chemical agents with receptors. Furthermore, receptor binding may be used to gain insight into receptor dysfunctions that may underlie a variety of diseases. Binding studies have been and will continue to be important in identifying the locus of action of psychotherapeutic drugs. This is not to suggest that in vivo testing should be supplanted by receptor binding assays, but that these assays represent a powerful weapon in the drug discovery team's armementarium and should not be overlooked.