Targeting small GTPases and their downstream pathways with intracellular macromolecule binders to define alternative therapeutic strategies in cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Sorbara ◽  
Nicolas Bery
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Therapeutic Strategy ◽  
Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Inhibitory Mechanisms ◽  
Covalent Inhibitors

The RAS superfamily of small GTPases regulates major physiological cellular processes. Mutation or deregulation of these small GTPases, their regulators and/or their effectors are associated with many diseases including cancer. Hence, targeting these classes of proteins is an important therapeutic strategy in cancer. This has been recently achieved with the approval of the first KRASG12C covalent inhibitors for the clinic. However, many other mutants and small GTPases are still considered as ‘undruggable' with small molecule inhibitors because of a lack of well-defined pocket(s) at their surface. Therefore, alternative therapeutic strategies have been developed to target these proteins. In this review, we discuss the use of intracellular antibodies and derivatives — reagents that bind their antigen inside the cells — for the discovery of novel inhibitory mechanisms, targetable features and therapeutic strategies to inhibit small GTPases and their downstream pathways. These reagents are also versatile tools used to better understand the biological mechanisms regulated by small GTPases and to accelerate the drug discovery process.

ReAction!

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Griep ◽  
Marjorie L. Mikasen
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Trial And Error ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Special Effects ◽  
Invisible Man ◽  
Feature Films ◽  
The World ◽  
Chemical Companies

ReAction! gives a scientist's and artist's response to the dark and bright sides of chemistry found in 140 films, most of them contemporary Hollywood feature films but also a few documentaries, shorts, silents, and international films. Even though there are some examples of screen chemistry between the actors and of behind-the-scenes special effects, this book is really about the chemistry when it is part of the narrative. It is about the dualities of Dr. Jekyll vs. inventor chemists, the invisible man vs. forensic chemists, chemical weapons vs. classroom chemistry, chemical companies that knowingly pollute the environment vs. altruistic research chemists trying to make the world a better place to live, and, finally, about people who choose to experiment with mind-altering drugs vs. the drug discovery process. Little did Jekyll know when he brought the Hyde formula to his lips that his personality split would provide the central metaphor that would come to describe chemistry in the movies. This book explores the two movie faces of this supposedly neutral science. Watching films with chemical eyes, Dr. Jekyll is recast as a chemist engaged in psychopharmaceutical research but who becomes addicted to his own formula. He is balanced by the often wacky inventor chemists who make their discoveries by trial-and-error.

scholarly journals Partitioning Pattern of Natural Products Based on Molecular Properties Descriptors Representing Drug-Likeness

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 546
Author(s):  
Miroslava Nedyalkova ◽  
Vasil Simeonov
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Target Prediction ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process ◽  
Unique Source ◽  
The Times ◽  
Partitioning Pattern

A cheminformatics procedure for a partitioning model based on 135 natural compounds including Flavonoids, Saponins, Alkaloids, Terpenes and Triterpenes with drug-like features based on a descriptors pool was developed. The knowledge about the applicability of natural products as a unique source for the development of new candidates towards deadly infectious disease is a contemporary challenge for drug discovery. We propose a partitioning scheme for unveiling drug-likeness candidates with properties that are important for a prompt and efficient drug discovery process. In the present study, the vantage point is about the matching of descriptors to build the partitioning model applied to natural compounds with diversity in structures and complexity of action towards the severe diseases, as the actual SARS-CoV-2 virus. In the times of the de novo design techniques, such tools based on a chemometric and symmetrical effect by the implied descriptors represent another noticeable sign for the power and level of the descriptors applicability in drug discovery in establishing activity and target prediction pipeline for unknown drugs properties.

scholarly journals Selecting Machine-Learning Scoring Functions for Structure-Based Virtual Screening

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Ballester
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Virtual Screening ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Scoring Function ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Large Datasets ◽  
Scoring Functions ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Drug Discovery Process

Interest in docking technologies has grown parallel to the ever increasing number and diversity of 3D models for macromolecular therapeutic targets. Structure-Based Virtual Screening (SBVS) aims at leveraging these experimental structures to discover the necessary starting points for the drug discovery process. It is now established that Machine Learning (ML) can strongly enhance the predictive accuracy of scoring functions for SBVS by exploiting large datasets from targets, molecules and their associations. However, with greater choice, the question of which ML-based scoring function is the most suitable for prospective use on a given target has gained importance. Here we analyse two approaches to select an existing scoring function for the target along with a third approach consisting in generating a scoring function tailored to the target. These analyses required discussing the limitations of popular SBVS benchmarks, the alternatives to benchmark scoring functions for SBVS and how to generate them or use them using freely-available software.

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