Unlocking the Power of Protein Interactions: New Drugs for Cancer

Proteins are like tiny workers in our bodies, and they often team up to get things done. These partnerships, called protein-protein interactions (PPIs), are crucial for many important jobs, like telling cells when to grow or fixing damaged DNA. When these interactions go wrong, they can cause diseases, including cancer. Scientists are now exploring a new way to fight cancer by targeting these protein partnerships with special drugs called PPI modulators. Although creating these drugs is tough, recent advances in genetics, protein studies, and computer science have made it easier. In the past few years, several PPI modulators have been tested in clinical trials for cancer treatment. One of these drugs, venetoclax, has even been approved to treat certain types of leukemia. It works by disrupting the Bcl-2 family proteins, which help cancer cells survive. Other promising PPI targets include MDM2-p53, Hsp90-Hsp90, Hsp90-CDC37, c-Myc-Max, KRAS-SOS1, CCR5-CCL5, CCR2-CCL2, and Smac-XIAP. Researchers are studying drugs that can change how these protein pairs interact, potentially leading to new cancer treatments.