{"entity":{"id":"cell-membrane","kind":"term","name":"Cell membrane","aka":["cell membranes","plasma membrane","cell surface","cell-surface","surface of the cell","membrane-bound"],"tldr":"The oily outer skin of a cell. Most drugs and antibodies act at this boundary, either by binding to proteins sticking out of it or by slipping through it.","summary":"The membrane is a double layer of fat molecules studded with proteins: receptors that receive signals, channels and pumps that move molecules in and out, and adhesion molecules that hold cells to their neighbours. Only small, fat-soluble molecules cross it freely, which is why small-molecule drugs can reach targets inside the cell while antibodies (which are large) are restricted to targets on the surface. Antibody-drug conjugates exploit this: the antibody binds a surface protein, the whole complex is swallowed by the cell, and the payload is released inside.","asOf":"2026-09-09","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_membrane","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_membrane"}],"tags":[],"related":["receptor","antibody","cell-term","efflux-pump"],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":["adc","monoclonal-antibody"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Biology basics"},"route":"/terms/cell-membrane/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"antibody","kind":"term","name":"Antibody","route":"/terms/antibody/"},{"id":"cell-term","kind":"term","name":"Cell","route":"/terms/cell-term/"},{"id":"efflux-pump","kind":"term","name":"Drug efflux pumps (ABC transporters)","route":"/terms/efflux-pump/"},{"id":"receptor","kind":"term","name":"Receptor","route":"/terms/receptor/"}],"technology":[{"id":"adc","kind":"technology","name":"Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)","route":"/technologies/adc/"},{"id":"monoclonal-antibody","kind":"technology","name":"Monoclonal antibodies","route":"/technologies/monoclonal-antibody/"}]}}