Project description
Small molecule building blocks are opening the door to previously inaccessible drug targets
Proteins specialised in binding proline-rich motifs (PRMs) are highly abundant yet so far undruggable. They are involved in regulation of many important signalling cascades and linked to numerous disease processes. However, effective inhibition of these intracellular interactions by small molecules have remained elusive for years. SMA PROSION has developed chemical building blocks called ProMs that can be combined to form the world’s first small-molecule PRM competitors. The team has already developed ProM-based inhibitors for a fundamental drug target involved in overall solid tumour progression (studies in breast and pancreatic cancer) and others are in the pipeline. The EU-funded ProM project will accelerate the optimisation of the technology and shorten its path to market.
Objective
Existing pharmaceutical methods can only target 15% of all proteins in the human proteome. Given this limitation, pharmaceutical companies are running out of options to develop effective drugs to tackle hard-to-treat diseases. To have a better chance of fighting these diseases, further targets of the remaining, so far undruggable 85% of our proteome need to be unlocked.
PROSION developed a disruptive platform of chemical building blocks called ProMs. The ProM-platform addresses a specific class of yet undruggable proteins linked to hard-to-treat-diseases. ProMs can be combined into small molecule drugs to target proteins that play a key-role in pathologies such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular diseases and immune mediated disorders.
The platform’s potential is currently being validated: in its first project, PROSION addresses a yet undruggable target to potentially provide new therapies for pancreatic and breast cancer and fight drug-resistance effects within cancer therapies.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsproteomics
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologydementiaalzheimer
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistance
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologybreast cancer
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinecardiologycardiovascular diseases
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-EIC-ACC-BF - HORIZON EIC Accelerator Blended FinanceCoordinator
50674 Koln
Germany
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.