Salk method highlights protein-protein interactions in cancer

Scientists at Salk say they have identified a new method to detect "fleeting" protein-protein interactions, a key focus in oncology R&D. And they say that the new approach could help identify a variety of new cancer drug targets. "The number of protein functions that are currently targeted by drugs is incredibly small compared to the total number of protein interactions that could be targeted for therapeutic benefit," says Geoffrey Wahl, a professor in Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory. "If we can crack the nut of screening for drugs that disrupt cancer-relevant protein interactions, this will be an enormous breakthrough and could have implications for many other fields as well." Release