Discovery of Dual-Degrading Compound Could Pave Way for More Effective Cancer Drugs (UF Health Newsroom)

Discovery of Dual-Degrading Compound Could Pave Way for More Effective Cancer Drugs

University of Florida researchers have developed a new compound that simultaneously attacks two key proteins critical for a cancer cell’s survival, a discovery that could aid in the development of more effective leukemia, lung and colon cancer drugs.

In a study published Nov. 25, 2021, in Nature Communications, UF College of Pharmacy researchers, Guangrong Zheng and Yaxia Yuan, along with a team of other scientists, reported the development of the first BCL-xL and BCL-2 PROTAC dual-degrading compound.

The compound acts on a pair of proteins in the B-cell lymphoma 2 family that fuel the growth of malignant cancer cells and strengthen their resistance to drug therapies. The proteins shield tumor cells and protect them from death.

“Some cancer cells solely depend upon these proteins for survival,” said Zhou, M.D., a professor of pharmacodynamics and the Henry E. Innes Professorship of Cancer Research at UF Health. “If we can eliminate the BCL-xL and BCL-2 proteins, then we can destroy the tumor cells directly or make them more susceptible to conventional cancer treatments.”

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