Undruggable: The Emerging Induced Proximity Toolkit

PROTACs have taken center stage in the effort to drug the undruggable. Researchers are now exploring other types of TACs to degrade or alter undruggable targets by bringing them together with effector proteins. In this episode, Ray Deshaies talks to Carolyn Bertozzi, professor of chemistry at Stanford University, about alternative induced proximity platforms. Notably, her research centers around lysosome targeting chimeras, or LYTACs, that target extracellular proteins for degradation by the endosome-lysosome pathway.

To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Undruggable Q&A webinar discussion on November 17, 2021. Register for this event here: Undruggable Q&A

 

Undruggable is 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.