A novel assay to reveal cyclic peptides with affinity to ubiquitin
Posted: 31 March 2021 | Victoria Rees (Drug Target Review) | No comments yet
Although macrocyclic peptides make for promising pharmaceutical candidates, screening for lead peptides has proved difficult for scientists. In a new study, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology addressed these challenges by developing a novel high-throughput screening assay for cyclic peptides with affinity to the ubiquitin protein. Drug Target Review’s Victoria Rees explores the study and discusses how the new assay could lead to new drug candidates against cancer.
The identification of new cancer drugs is desperately needed worldwide. In 2018, there were 9.6 million deaths and 17 million new cases of cancer globally.1 However, revealing which small molecules or biopharmaceuticals work best against the condition is no easy task. One potential strategy for combatting cancer is through using cyclic peptides that work in collaboration with the ubiquitin system. To discover novel peptides, researchers have developed a high-throughput assay that can be used during screening, outlined in their study published in Angewandte Chemie.2
Related topics
Assays, High Throughput Screening (HTS), Peptide therapeutics, Screening
Related conditions
Cancer
Related organisations
Horizon Discovery, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
