From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Researchers at UW-Madison have created a new type of “protein degraders” that could improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation is touting the technology as a top licensing prospect in its health care portfolio of UW-Madison inventions. It was created by Quanyin Hu, an assistant professor of pharmacy with the university, and postdoctoral researcher Peixin Liu.
The new class of protein degraders, called McR-TACs, can target disease-related proteins both within cells and on their surface, according to an overview provided by WARF. They’re being tested in cancer cell models, with a goal of making certain treatments “more durable and effective,” authors wrote.
This approach involves “hijacking” built-in protein disposal systems in the cell to break down the target proteins, Hu explained in a video from WARF. While this has been applied to treating cancer and other diseases, Hu says his team aims to address existing challenges with the approach and improve its clinical application.
“We are also trying to see if we can start up a company to translate this technology, but we’re also willing to work with other established companies, who [are] very interested in our technology as well,” Hu said.
The researchers designed a protein degrader that can be recycled by the cells, in order to “maintain sustained protein degradation,” according to Liu. That means fewer doses of treatment could be used to maintain the effects of treatment, WARF says.
It’s been tested in mouse models of breast cancer, showing it can achieve “long-term” clinical impact with just two injections, Liu said.
See the overview and watch the video.
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