Multivalency

Preface

Multivalent interactions play a role in molecular and biomolecular systems in which molecules interact by multiple noncovalent bonds. Studying and describing these interactions in a quantitative manner constitute therefore an important way to obtain insight into the functional behavior of the biological and chemical systems in which they are involved. Over the past decades, the research of multivalent interactions has greatly expanded. This growth fits in the overall trends observed in the natural sciences which encompass the merging and overlapping of disciplines, like the biology and chemistry involved here. It also aligns with the emphasis on the study of complex systems, and the development of systems biology and systems chemistry, for example. Therefore, we have observed the need for a book that brings together fundamental aspects of multivalent interactions and relevant current examples of biological as well as chemical multivalent systems.

The disciplines of chemistry and biology are strongly represented in this area of science because they exert a mutual influence on both the understanding of fundamental aspects of multivalency as well as the development of practical research tools and applications. In biology, multivalent interactions play an eminent role in the immune system, but at the same time also describe the interactions between a virus and the host cell which the virus tries to infect. Tools from chemistry and nanotechnology are being developed that ...