Proteins in the human body can be challenging to target with drugs, but Scripps Research scientists have developed a groundbreaking method called ‘paralog hopping’ to design drugs that block cancer-related proteins. This innovative approach could lead to new drug development strategies for various diseases. Learn more about this cutting-edge research in proteins and cancer treatment in this blog post.
In the realm of drug discovery, scientists are continuously looking for novel approaches to engage “undruggable” targets. There is a wonder drug development approach recently proposed by Scripps Research laboratories that can potentially change the way we search for drugs for cancer and other diseases.
This is an ingenious approach—dubbed “paralog hopping”— and a very forward-thinking one. By leveraging the similarities observed in protein paralogs–proteins descended from a common ancestral gene, but take on unique functions – researchers have identified new druggable sites that had gone undiscovered. It is research that could pave the way for smarter drug development, primarily in even treating cancer.
Central to this work is the attention given to two proteins called CCNE1 and CCNE2. These are proteins known to be very hyperactive in a range of cancers and thus highly attractive targets for therapeutic attack. Building upon these past successes, the scientists at Scripps Research have set their sights on craft drugs that can distinguish among these closely related proteins with a specificity that has the potential to tremendously increase therapeutic power.
Although its immediate findings are new and novel, the implications of this study go way beyond the data being presented. The approach of ‘paralog hopping’ was demonstrated, providing a new direction for the drug discovery of gemcitabine. In principle, this approach is general and could be extended to any pair of proteins involved in tumor initiation mechanisms, providing an unprecedented opportunity for cancer therapy target discovery.
The high excitement in the scientific community, given the retrospective satisfaction that someone changed his ways, is now looking to the future. This is game-changing in how we can begin to design drugs, targeting specific ones rather than solely on the proteins in our cells that they target. As big news as this is for cancer, the future applications of this method are numerous, which will hopefully lead to breakthroughs in treating many other diseases beyond cancer.
This is what can happen when a scientist dares to think outside the theoretical boundaries of how things could be and goes on searching through the mechanisms as much as possible, which effectively represents the transition from laboratory discovery to clinical application. We may even look back on this ‘paralog hopping’ approach as a game changer in the long-haul battle against cancer and other serious diseases, one step-change moment in the evolution of drug design.
