Study finds pioneering technique may unlock targeted treatments for cancer

Researchers have discovered a pioneering chemical technique that could develop new treatments for cancer and other diseases.The findings of the study were published in the 'Journal of Medicinal Chemistry'. Members of the Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, based at the University of Leicester, used proteolysis targeting chimeras as a 'bridge' to degrade proteins implicated in cancer. This new study describes how Leicester researchers applied a previously-described protein degradation technique known as PROTACs to degrade histone deacetylation enzymes in a more targeted way than ever before. Using this pioneering technique to target specific structures within cancerous cells could increase the potency and selectivity of new and existing drugs, meaning patients would require lower systemic exposure to drug treatments leading to a reduction in harmful side-effects to patients.