Protein-Protein Interference Blockade
Protein-protein interactions are universal to life. They occur as part of
normal physiological processes at the cellular level. However, many human
diseases are known to be caused by abnormal protein-protein interactions such as
cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular and infectious diseases.
In the past, targeting intracellular protein-protein interaction sites as
potential targets for drugs has been challenging because the binding sites are
non-distinct; they are flat, featureless and relatively large.
With recent advances in protein-protein focused drug discovery technologies,
these challenges have been overcome. Today, protein-protein interaction
modulators are an attractive emerging class of molecular targets. Several
modulator therapeutics are on the market, and many more are advancing through
clinical studies.
Protein-Protein Interference
Our approach is to precisely identify and target the contact points of two
interacting proteins. We design specific peptide candidates to block the
interaction of the two proteins and add targeting membrane-permeable sequences
to enable the peptides to penetrate into the cytoplasm of cells and/or to cross
the blood brain barrier. Achieving both blood brain-barrier penetration and cell
permeability are significant advantages of our technology. It broadens the
opportunity to develop new targeted therapies for a variety of diseases. The
ability to cross the blood-brain barrier is especially vital for CNS disorders,
where the therapeutic target resides in the brain.
We have validated our protein interference blockade technology in vitro and
in vivo involving multiple protein targets in neurological indications.
Advantages
Our protein-protein interference blockade platform offers several significant advantages compared to small molecules and antibodies.
| Characteristics |
Interference Peptide |
Small Molecule Inhibitor |
Antibody |
| Low toxicity |
✓ |
X |
X |
| Ease of manufacturing |
✓ |
MAYBE |
X |
| Ease of finding a new molecule |
✓ |
X |
MAYBE |
| Blood-brain barrier and cell permeability |
✓ |
MAYBE |
X |
| Does not require information on protein structure |
✓ |
X |
MAYBE |
| Can target disorderly parts of a target protein |
✓ |
X |
MAYBE |
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