Drug Targets – News and Features

Identifying a key protein’s role in benzodiazepine-related side effects could improve the common mental health medications and point to new treatments for inflammation-related diseases.

Researchers have identified that SIRT2, an enzyme involved in neurotransmitter production, plays a key role in memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.

A study led by Northwestern Medicine used CRISPR interference to identify Commander proteins involved in Parkinson’s disease risk. These proteins play a key role in lysosomal function, and targeting them could offer new therapeutic options.

The world-first study found mice treated with the antiviral compound, developed by a multidisciplinary research team at WEHI, were protected from long-term brain and lung dysfunction – key symptoms of long COVID.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine discovered that mitochondrial proteins Parkin, PINK1, and OMA1 act as guardians of mitochondrial size and function, playing crucial roles in the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers from the University of Iowa have unveiled the structure of a protein that plays a key role in protecting DNA during replication. This discovery may lead to the development of drugs targeting DNA repair pathways in cancer cells.

Scientists have identified a promising new drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, a deadly blood cancer with a five-year survival rate of just 30%, highlighting the crucial role of a protein called paraspeckle component 1.

Technology Networks spoke to the most productive researcher in spatial transcriptomics, Professor Joakim Lundeberg, about the field’s rapid growth.

Endometrial organoids, 3D cell cultures mimicking the endometrium, offer new opportunities in endometriosis research. These models are key in studying drug targets, fertility issues and gynecological cancers.

A study from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital reveals that the protein VDAC2 acts as a “signal jammer” in tumors, preventing immune system communication. By removing VDAC2, tumors became more sensitive to immunotherapy.