Frequent hitter

Term · Chemistry · MLC-T-CHM-004670

A compound that gives a positive result in multiple, unrelated high-throughput screening assays, suggesting a non-specific mechanism of action rather than selective interaction with the intended biological target. These compounds interfere with the assay technology itself, for example, through aggregation, fluorescence, or chemical reactivity, leading to false positives. Promiscuous compounds that are active against many targets are a distinct but related class of frequent hitters.

Table 1. Record
Identifier	MLC-T-CHM-004670
Field	Chemistry
Subject	Chemistry and Human Health
References	PAC, 2013, 85, 1725. 'Glossary of terms used in medicinal chemistry. Part II (IUPAC Recommendations 2013)' on page 1735 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-12-11-23)

Record as JSON

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-004670",
  "term": "Frequent hitter",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A compound that gives a positive result in multiple, unrelated high-throughput screening assays, suggesting a non-specific mechanism of action rather than selective interaction with the intended biological target. These compounds interfere with the assay technology itself, for example, through aggregation, fluorescence, or chemical reactivity, leading to false positives. Promiscuous compounds that are active against many targets are a distinct but related class of frequent hitters.",
  "subject": "Chemistry and Human Health",
  "references": [
    "PAC, 2013, 85, 1725. 'Glossary of terms used in medicinal chemistry. Part II (IUPAC Recommendations 2013)' on page 1735 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-12-11-23)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/frequent-hitter/"
}

Record 4,947 of 13,676 in Chemistry terminology (MLC-0109). Request the full dataset.