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Novel therapeutic approaches against cancer: PROXIDRUGS is revolutionizing research!
Future cluster PROXIDRUGS at the University of Frankfurt: Innovative therapies against cancer and neurodegenerative diseases will start in 2025.
Novel therapeutic approaches against cancer: PROXIDRUGS is revolutionizing research!
The fight against diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases is receiving new impetus through innovative research approaches. Since 2021, 22 partners from academic and industrial research have been working together on the PROXIDRUGS future cluster, which is coordinated by the Goethe University Frankfurt. The aim of this cooperation is to develop revolutionary therapeutic approaches for the targeted degradation of disease-relevant proteins. This could have far-reaching implications for the treatment of cancer, Alzheimer's, ALS and inflammatory diseases such as puk.uni-frankfurt.de reported.
A central focus of the project is the use of proximity-inducing drugs. These chimeric molecules are able to specifically bind to harmful proteins and mark them for degradation in the cellular shredder. To do this, they use the natural disposal systems that are present in every human cell. The advantage of this technology is its high specificity, which – combined with its effectiveness at low doses – allows access to around 80% of proteins that previously could not be targeted therapeutically. This innovative strategy could lead to a wide range of indications clusters4future.de highlights.
Research priorities and outlook
The research institutions involved in PROXIDRUGS cover a wide spectrum, from medicinal chemistry and biochemistry to pharmacology and oncology. Another important aspect of research is close collaboration with pharmaceutical companies to map the value chain up to preclinical drug development. This collaboration could be particularly important in researching cancer cells and their specific challenges.
The urgency of such research approaches is underscored by the alarming statistics on cancer prevalence. Almost three million people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the EU and the number of cancer deaths could rise to around 10 million by 2025. Older people are particularly affected, with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) being the most common type of blood cancer in Europe. A significant need for innovation in cancer research is evident in order to develop both effective and tolerable therapies. Advances in targeted therapies, such as the use of BTK inhibitors, demonstrate the potential of modern approaches to target cancer cells without harming surrounding healthy tissue handelsblatt.com.
The second implementation phase of PROXIDRUGS begins in 2025 and promises to deepen existing research efforts. On April 22, 2015, a kick-off event entitled “Drug Discovery am Main” will take place at the Goethe University, where important scientists such as Prof. Dr. Nicolas Thomä and other leading researchers will present their findings. Pre-registration is required by April 8th as spaces are limited.