Undruggable: Drugging the Undruggable: The Biology of PROTACs

Multispecific medicines that bind to and bring together effector and target molecules are leading the fourth wave of drug development. In this episode, Ray Deshaies speaks with Craig Crews, the John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and professor of chemistry and pharmacology at Yale University. Years ago, Craig and Ray collaborated on a project developing proteolysis targeting chimeras, or PROTACs, a form of multispecific medicine that can bind to targets once thought to be undruggable through the recruitment of an E3 ubiquitin ligase, leading to protein destruction. They take a deep dive into the history and function of PROTACs, and make bold predictions of the future of this medicine modality.

To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Undruggable Q&A webinar discussion on November 3, 2021. Register for this event here: Undruggable Q&A 1

 

Welcome to Undruggable, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.

Beginning with the introduction of aspirin at the start of the 20th century, there have been three major waves of innovation in drug discovery. While breakthrough discoveries have been made, 85% of disease targets are still considered undruggable, which represents an ongoing barrier to discovering medicines for complex diseases like cancer and autoimmune conditions. Ray Deshaies, who has spent decades in academic research and is a senior vice president at Amgen, believes that the fourth wave of innovation is here, led by new types of multispecific medicines that will radically alter our concept of how drugs can work and pave the way for new solutions.