Most drugs are small molecules because of their attractive pharmacokinetics, manageable
development and manufacturing, and effective binding into the concave crevices of bio-
macromolecules. Despite these features, they often fall short when it comes to effectively
recognizing the surfaces of bio-macromolecules. One way to overcome the challenge of
biomolecular surface recognition is to develop small molecules that become self-assembled
ligands (SALs) prior to binding. Herein, we report SALs made from 8-aryl-2 …