Chinese researchers have created a new tool to combat severe diseases. The method makes it possible to locate and destroy pathogenic proteins that cause illness in a living organism with high precision. The technology has been successfully tested on animals, including primates. This was reported by
Xinhua News Agency, a TV BRICS partner.
The development belongs to scientists from the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS). The tool has been named “supramolecular target-defining chimeras” (SupTACs).
The new strategy addresses one of the key challenges in medicine. Many diseases, including oncological and neurodegenerative conditions, are caused by malfunctions in specific proteins. Traditional medicines are often unable to affect them, as such proteins lack a suitable “target” for standard drugs.
“Existing strategies for targeted protein degradation often lack precise control over when and where they act, which limits their effectiveness in vivo (in a living organism – Ed.) and increases the risk of side effects,” explained ICCAS professor and lead author of the study Wang Min.
SupTACs use the cell’s natural waste disposal system – the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway. With spatial and temporal precision, they direct this disposal system towards the required pathogenic protein, prompting the cell to destroy it itself. According to the professor, this achievement represents an important step towards the future clinical application of the technology.
Photo: Natali_Mis /
iStock
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