Objective
Many biological processes are orchestrated by complex networks of protein-protein interactions and several diseases can be linked to deregulations of these convoluted networks. In spite of their central importance in diseases, very few existing drugs act by disrupting abnormal protein-protein interactions. The discovery of small molecule able to disrupt critical protein-protein interactions has long been considered a very difficult task. Yet, recent successes suggest that this endeavor is feasible but clear strategies to tackle such class of targets have not yet emerged. Among the many medically important protein-protein interactions, the binding of the oncogene MDM2 to the tumor suppressor p53 has attracted intense interest due to its central importance in cancer biology and this system has emerged as a testing ground for design strategies to target effectively protein-protein interactions. In this project, computer simulations and biophysical experiments will be conducted to discover, optimize and characterize inhibitors of the p53/MDM2 as well as the highly similar p53/MDM4 interactions. The effectiveness of the computer aided drug design methodologies will be assessed against this class of target and novel design concepts at the forefront of chemical biology will be applied to develop scaffolds able to disrupt these interactions. Key collaborations will allow the designed inhibitors to be synthesized and tested for biological activity. Thermodynamic studies will also be conducted to characterize the binding properties of successful design and critically assess the predictive power of the computational techniques. The overarching goal of this research will be to not only design potent inhibitors, potentially extraordinarily useful as anti cancer agents, but also to delineate design principles to effectively target protein-protein interactions, thereby potentially unlocking a large fraction of the proteome for future therapeutic intervention
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- medical and health sciences basic medicine medicinal chemistry
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences mathematics applied mathematics mathematical model
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-IOF-2008
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.