A chance discovery in protein dynamics could offer new pathways for the treatment of cancer, suggests research from KAUST. This research finding will benefit from the connections provided by KAUST Smart Health Initiative, a project which links researchers directly with practitioners.

Targeted cancer therapy works by identifying proteins whose overproduction and overactivity causes the uncontrolled cell proliferation that defines the disease. Once such a protein is found, its role in the imbalance needs to be elucidated. Researchers will then try to find smaller molecules, known as ligands, that can selectively bind to and inhibit it.

Computer modeling of the static structure of proteins has been the preferred tool for determining whether they have the “ligandability” needed to target them. However, as bioscientist Łukasz Jaremko has shown, relying on this method can miss a great deal.

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