From inhibition to destruction – kinase drugs found to trigger protein degradation

Protein kinases are the molecular switches of the cell. They control growth, division, communication, and survival by attaching phosphate groups to other proteins. When these switches are stuck in the “on” position, they can drive cancer and other diseases. Not surprisingly, kinases have become one of the most important drug target families in modern medicine: today, more than 80 kinase inhibitors are FDA-approved, and nearly twice as many are in clinical development.

These drugs were designed to block enzymatic activity. But a new study led by CeMM, the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Vienna), the…