11/7/2022 0 Comments Are molecules smaller than cells![]() ![]() To give a sense of size, same-scale computer models of three drugs - aspirin (a small molecule), somatropin (human growth hormone), and Herceptin (an antibody) - are presented above with an example of the relative complexity: The molecules are to scale and the objects are not, but the objects (bike, car, private jet) indicate relative size and complexity of these molecules. Small biologics, such as hormones, are typically composed of 200 to 3000 atoms, while large biologics, such as antibodies, are typically composed of 5000 to 50,000 atoms. ![]() In contrast, small molecule drugs are typically composed of only 20 to 100 atoms. Since biologics are significantly larger in size, they are typically injected and interact within the body in the bloodstream or on the surfaces of cells, rather than within the cells. Many small molecule drugs can be taken orally, and tend to work in the body within cells.
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