ABSTRACT
Acknowledgments...........................................................................................................................69
References .......................................................................................................................................69
Protein-based receptormolecules that are capable of selectively binding a particular ligand or group of
related ligands are extensively applied in analysis, diagnostics, therapy, nanotechnology, and a multi-
tude of new interdisciplinary areas currently emerging in biotechnology. The selective binding of the
target molecule is based upon molecular recognition, making use of the noncovalent interaction of
amino-acid residues at the interface of the receptor binding area and the corresponding sites of the
ligand. There are several binding forces driving the specific association of receptor and ligand such as
ionic, van-der-Waals, and hydrophobic interactions as well as hydrogen and Ca
