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# Overview 

Quantitative pharmacologists construct models of relationship between ligand concentration and the fraction of cell surface receptors in each of several molecular conformations. These models give insight into the action of natural ligands and drugs on receptor-mediated cell responses.  A good starting point for review of receptor modeling is 

* Kenakin, T. P. (2018). [A Pharmacology Primer: Techniques for More Effective and Strategic Drug Discovery.](https://www.amazon.com/Pharmacology-Primer-Techniques-Effective-Strategic/dp/0128139579/) Academic Press. {cite}`Kenakin2018`

An accessible introduction to this topic for undergraduate neuroscience majors is __Ligands, Receptors, and Rate Laws__, Chapter 4 of [Cellular Biophysics \& Modeling: a primer on the computational biology of excitable cells](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cellular-biophysics-and-modeling/0C728F4C44D89D8F3BA62E41A0D7336F). Cambridge University Press, 2019.