# 5.2 Surface Topography and Pocket Detection

> Surface Topography and Pocket Detection (Module 5: The Explorer). Key concept: Binding pockets, surface shape, and druggability. Explain why binding sites are concave and what a pocket actually is.

Surface Topography and Pocket Detection (Module 5: The Explorer). Key concept: Binding pockets, surface shape, and druggability. Explain why binding sites are concave and what a pocket actually is.

- Explain why binding sites are concave and what a pocket actually is
- Locate pockets on a molecular surface
- Explain how depth, hydrophobicity and polarity decide what a pocket can bind
- Distinguish a druggable pocket from one that merely exists

## Links

- [Module 5: The Explorer](https://proteindesign.academy/module/5)
- [5.1 Molecules 101: What Proteins Bind](https://proteindesign.academy/module/5/1)
- [5.3 Electrostatic Surfaces](https://proteindesign.academy/module/5/3)
- [5.4 Shape Complementarity](https://proteindesign.academy/module/5/4)
- [5.5 Enzyme Catalysis: The Catalytic Triad](https://proteindesign.academy/module/5/5)
- [5.integration Design a Binding Site](https://proteindesign.academy/module/5/integration)
- [Target Acquisition](https://proteindesign.academy/module/5/capstone)