How to find molecular glues to effectively target diseases
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Many of the currently available drugs are not specific enough to effectively cure complex diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. In addition, drug resistance reduces the effectiveness of existing therapies. To address these problems, biomedical engineer Eline Sijbesma designed small molecules that disarm specific disease proteins by gluing them to other proteins. These could lead to more stable and effective drugs and, among other things, might contribute to a new therapy for resistant breast cancer, for which currently no treatment exists. Sijbesma defends her Ph.D. thesis on December 2 at TU/e.