Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators unveiled a platform designed to discover “molecular glue” degraders against protein targets previously considered undruggable. The researchers reported in Nature a first molecular glue degrader activated by glutathionylation, highlighting that activity can be context dependent—a potential lever for tuning selectivity. Mechanistically, the platform screens combinations that redirect an E3 ligase to tag disease proteins for proteasomal disposal. The work also builds on the broader molecular glue concept behind lenalidomide, while emphasizing that current clinical degraders use only a small fraction of known E3 ligases. By scaling discovery across E3-ligase opportunities, the platform aims to widen the portfolio of cancer-relevant degradation mechanisms.
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