Scientists investigate macrocyclic peptides as new drug templates
Published Date: 9/8/2021
Source: phys.org
Thanks to our understanding of molecular biology, we have made tremendous progress in medicine, with scientists shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of several diseases. However, despite knowing how these diseases occur and develop within cells, some remain untreatable due to the inability of currently available drugs to reach their targets. One such example of an unreachable drug target is "protein-protein interactions (PPIs)" that occur inside cells. Most drugs cannot interfere with PPIs due to their small sizes, even if they can penetrate the cell membrane. On the other hand, antibody proteins can be engineered to block virtually any PPI but cannot access the inside of cells. So, are there any other alternatives for targeting intracellular PPIs?