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Thomas AM, Serafini M, Grant EK, Coombs EAJ, Bluck JP, Schiedel M, McDonough MA, Reynolds JK, Lee B, Platt M, Sharlandjieva V, Biggin PC, Duarte F, Milne TA, Bush JT, Conway SJ. Mutate and Conjugate: A Method to Enable Rapid In-Cell Target Validation. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:2405-2417. [PMID: 37874862 PMCID: PMC10660337 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Target validation remains a challenge in drug discovery, which leads to a high attrition rate in the drug discovery process, particularly in Phase II clinical trials. Consequently, new approaches to enhance target validation are valuable tools to improve the drug discovery process. Here, we report the combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electrophilic fragments to enable the rapid identification of small molecules that selectively inhibit the mutant protein. Using the bromodomain-containing protein BRD4 as an example, we employed a structure-based approach to identify the L94C mutation in the first bromodomain of BRD4 [BRD4(1)] as having a minimal effect on BRD4(1) function. We then screened a focused, KAc mimic-containing fragment set and a diverse fragment library against the mutant and wild-type proteins and identified a series of fragments that showed high selectivity for the mutant protein. These compounds were elaborated to include an alkyne click tag to enable the attachment of a fluorescent dye. These clickable compounds were then assessed in HEK293T cells, transiently expressing BRD4(1)WT or BRD4(1)L94C, to determine their selectivity for BRD4(1)L94C over other possible cellular targets. One compound was identified that shows very high selectivity for BRD4(1)L94C over all other proteins. This work provides a proof-of-concept that the combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electrophilic fragments, in a mutate and conjugate approach, can enable rapid identification of small molecule inhibitors for an appropriately mutated protein of interest. This technology can be used to assess the cellular phenotype of inhibiting the protein of interest, and the electrophilic ligand provides a starting point for noncovalent ligand development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M. Thomas
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Marta Serafini
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Emma K. Grant
- Department
of Chemical Biology, GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, United Kingdom
| | - Edward A. J. Coombs
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph P. Bluck
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
- Department
of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Matthias Schiedel
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Michael A. McDonough
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica K. Reynolds
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Bernadette Lee
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Platt
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Vassilena Sharlandjieva
- MRC
Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular
Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United
Kingdom
| | - Philip C. Biggin
- Department
of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Fernanda Duarte
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas A. Milne
- MRC
Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular
Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United
Kingdom
| | - Jacob T. Bush
- Department
of Chemical Biology, GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart J. Conway
- Department
of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University
of California Los Angeles, 607 Charles E. Young Drive East, P.O. Box 951569, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
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Bouguenina H, Nicolaou S, Le Bihan YV, Bowling EA, Calderon C, Caldwell JJ, Harrington B, Hayes A, McAndrew PC, Mitsopoulos C, Sialana FJ, Scarpino A, Stubbs M, Thapaliya A, Tyagi S, Wang HZ, Wood F, Burke R, Raynaud F, Choudhary J, van Montfort RL, Sadok A, Westbrook TF, Collins I, Chopra R. iTAG an optimized IMiD-induced degron for targeted protein degradation in human and murine cells. iScience 2023; 26:107059. [PMID: 37360684 PMCID: PMC10285648 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
To address the limitation associated with degron based systems, we have developed iTAG, a synthetic tag based on IMiDs/CELMoDs mechanism of action that improves and addresses the limitations of both PROTAC and previous IMiDs/CeLMoDs based tags. Using structural and sequence analysis, we systematically explored native and chimeric degron containing domains (DCDs) and evaluated their ability to induce degradation. We identified the optimal chimeric iTAG(DCD23 60aa) that elicits robust degradation of targets across cell types and subcellular localizations without exhibiting the well documented "hook effect" of PROTAC-based systems. We showed that iTAG can also induce target degradation by murine CRBN and enabled the exploration of natural neo-substrates that can be degraded by murine CRBN. Hence, the iTAG system constitutes a versatile tool to degrade targets across the human and murine proteome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Habib Bouguenina
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Stephanos Nicolaou
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Yann-Vaï Le Bihan
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Elizabeth A. Bowling
- Therapeutic Innovation Centre (THINC), Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Cheyenne Calderon
- Therapeutic Innovation Centre (THINC), Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - John J. Caldwell
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Brinley Harrington
- Therapeutic Innovation Centre (THINC), Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Angela Hayes
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - P. Craig McAndrew
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Costas Mitsopoulos
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Fernando Jr. Sialana
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
- Functional Proteomics Group, The Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, London SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Andrea Scarpino
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Mark Stubbs
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Arjun Thapaliya
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Siddhartha Tyagi
- Therapeutic Innovation Centre (THINC), Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hannah Z. Wang
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Francesca Wood
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Rosemary Burke
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Florence Raynaud
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Jyoti Choudhary
- Functional Proteomics Group, The Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, London SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Rob L.M. van Montfort
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Amine Sadok
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Thomas F. Westbrook
- Therapeutic Innovation Centre (THINC), Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ian Collins
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Rajesh Chopra
- Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, the Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, London SM2 5NG, UK
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Genome Editing and Myocardial Development. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1396:53-73. [PMID: 36454459 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-5642-3_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Congenital heart disease (CHD) has a strong genetic etiology, making it a likely candidate for therapeutic intervention using genetic editing. Complex genetics involving an orchestrated series of genetic events and over 400 genes are responsible for myocardial development. Cooperation is required from a vast series of genetic networks, and mutations in such can lead to CHD and cardiovascular abnormalities, affecting up to 1% of all live births. Genome editing technologies are becoming better studied and with time and improved logistics, CHD could be a prime therapeutic target. Syndromic, nonsyndromic, and cases of familial inheritance all involve identifiable causative mutations and thus have the potential for genome editing therapy. Mouse models are well-suited to study and predict clinical outcome. This review summarizes the anatomical and genetic timeline of myocardial development in both mice and humans, the potential of gene editing in typical CHD categories, as well as the use of mice thus far in reproducing models of human CHD and correcting the mutations that create them.
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4
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Khurana A, Sayed N, Singh V, Khurana I, Allawadhi P, Rawat PS, Navik U, Pasumarthi SK, Bharani KK, Weiskirchen R. A comprehensive overview of CRISPR/Cas 9 technology and application thereof in drug discovery. J Cell Biochem 2022; 123:1674-1698. [PMID: 36128934 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-Cas technology possesses revolutionary potential to positively affect various domains of drug discovery. It has initiated a rise in the area of genetic engineering and its advantages range from classical science to translational medicine. These genome editing systems have given a new dimension to our capabilities to alter, detect and annotate specified gene sequences. Moreover, the ease, robustness and adaptability of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology have led to its extensive utilization in research areas in such a short period of time. The applications include the development of model cell lines, understanding disease mechanisms, discovering disease targets, developing transgenic animals and plants, and transcriptional modulation. Further, the technology is rapidly growing; hence, an overlook of progressive success is crucial. This review presents the current status of the CRISPR-Cas technology in a tailor-made format from its discovery to several advancements for drug discovery alongwith future trends associated with possibilities and hurdles including ethical concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Khurana
- Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science (CVSc), PVNRTVU, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science (CVSc), PVNRTVU, Mamnoor, Warangal, Telangana, India
| | - Nilofer Sayed
- Department of Pharmacy, Pravara Rural Education Society's (P.R.E.S.'s) College of Pharmacy, Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women's University, Nashik, Maharashtra, India
| | - Vishakha Singh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Isha Khurana
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Prince Allawadhi
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Pushkar Singh Rawat
- Department of Pharmacology, Central University of Punjab, Ghudda, Bathinda, Punjab, India
| | - Umashanker Navik
- Department of Pharmacology, Central University of Punjab, Ghudda, Bathinda, Punjab, India
| | | | - Kala Kumar Bharani
- Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science (CVSc), PVNRTVU, Mamnoor, Warangal, Telangana, India
| | - Ralf Weiskirchen
- Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
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5
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Chen S, Chen D, Liu B, Haisma HJ. Modulating CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing activity by small molecules. Drug Discov Today 2021; 27:951-966. [PMID: 34823004 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-mediated genome engineering has become a standard procedure for creating genetic and epigenetic changes of DNA molecules in basic biology, biotechnology, and medicine. However, its versatile applications have been hampered by its overall low precise gene modification efficiency and uncontrollable prolonged Cas9 activity. Therefore, overcoming these problems could broaden the therapeutic use of CRISPR/Cas9-based technologies. Here, we review small molecules with the clinical potential to precisely modulate CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome-editing activity and discuss their mechanisms of action. Based on these data, we suggest that direct-acting small molecules for Cas9 are more suitable for precisely regulating Cas9 activity. These findings provide useful information for the identification of novel small-molecule enhancers and inhibitors of Cas9 and Cas9-associated endonucleases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwei Chen
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen 9713 AV, the Netherlands
| | - Deng Chen
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen 9713 AV, the Netherlands
| | - Bin Liu
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen 9713 AV, the Netherlands; RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA(1)
| | - Hidde J Haisma
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen 9713 AV, the Netherlands.
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6
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Norouzi-Barough L, Bayat A. Validation strategies for identifying drug targets in dermal fibrotic disorders. Drug Discov Today 2021; 26:2474-2485. [PMID: 34229083 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fibrotic skin disorders, such as keloid disease (KD), are common clinically challenging disorders with unknown etiopathogenesis and ill-defined treatment strategies that affect millions of people worldwide. Thus, there is an urgent need to discover novel therapeutics. The validation of potential drug targets is an obligatory step in discovering and developing new therapeutic agents for the successful treatment of dermal fibrotic conditions, such as KD. The integration of multi-omics data with traditional and modern technological approaches, such as RNA interference (RNAi) and genome-editing tools, would provide unique opportunities to identify and validate novel targets in KD during early drug development. Thus, in this review, we summarize the current and emerging drug discovery process with a focus on validation strategies of potential drug targets identified in dermal fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Norouzi-Barough
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ardeshir Bayat
- Centre for Dermatology Research, NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Stopford Building, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK; Medical Research Council-Wound Healing Unit, Division of Dermatology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
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7
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Fu M. Drug discovery from traditional Chinese herbal medicine using high content imaging technology. JOURNAL OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICAL SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcms.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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8
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Bayarsaikhan D, Bayarsaikhan G, Lee B. Recent advances in stem cells and gene editing: Drug discovery and therapeutics. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 181:231-269. [PMID: 34127195 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2021.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The recently introduced genome editing technology has had a remarkable impact on genetic medicine. Zinc finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas nucleases are the three major platforms used for priming of stem cells or correction of mutated genes. Among these nucleases, CRISPR/Cas is the most easily applicable. Various CRISPR/Cas variants such as base editors, prime editors, mad7 nucleases, RESCUE, REPAIR, digenome sequencing, and SHERLOCK are being developed and considered as a promising tool for gene therapy and drug discovery. These advances in the CRISPR/Cas platform have enabled the correction of gene mutations from DNA to RNA level and validation of the safety of genome editing performance at a very precise level by allowing the detection of one base-pair mismatch. These promising alternatives of the CRISPR/Cas system can benefit millions of patients with intractable diseases. Although the therapeutic effects of stem cells have been confirmed in a wide range of disease models, their safety still remains an issue. Hence, scientists are concentrating on generating functionally improved stem cells by using programmable nucleases such as CRISPR. Therefore, in this chapter, we have summarized the applicable options of the CRISPR/Cas platforms by weighing their advantages and limitations in drug discovery and gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delger Bayarsaikhan
- Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon City, Republic of Korea
| | - Govigerel Bayarsaikhan
- Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon City, Republic of Korea
| | - Bonghee Lee
- Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon City, Republic of Korea.
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Emmerich CH, Gamboa LM, Hofmann MCJ, Bonin-Andresen M, Arbach O, Schendel P, Gerlach B, Hempel K, Bespalov A, Dirnagl U, Parnham MJ. Improving target assessment in biomedical research: the GOT-IT recommendations. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2021; 20:64-81. [PMID: 33199880 PMCID: PMC7667479 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-020-0087-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Academic research plays a key role in identifying new drug targets, including understanding target biology and links between targets and disease states. To lead to new drugs, however, research must progress from purely academic exploration to the initiation of efforts to identify and test a drug candidate in clinical trials, which are typically conducted by the biopharma industry. This transition can be facilitated by a timely focus on target assessment aspects such as target-related safety issues, druggability and assayability, as well as the potential for target modulation to achieve differentiation from established therapies. Here, we present recommendations from the GOT-IT working group, which have been designed to support academic scientists and funders of translational research in identifying and prioritizing target assessment activities and in defining a critical path to reach scientific goals as well as goals related to licensing, partnering with industry or initiating clinical development programmes. Based on sets of guiding questions for different areas of target assessment, the GOT-IT framework is intended to stimulate academic scientists' awareness of factors that make translational research more robust and efficient, and to facilitate academia-industry collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lorena Martinez Gamboa
- Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- QUEST Center for Transforming Biomedical Research, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martine C J Hofmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine & Pharmacology TMP, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Marc Bonin-Andresen
- Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Olga Arbach
- Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- SPARK-Validation Fund, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pascal Schendel
- Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Katja Hempel
- Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany
| | - Anton Bespalov
- PAASP GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
- Valdman Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Ulrich Dirnagl
- Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- QUEST Center for Transforming Biomedical Research, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael J Parnham
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine & Pharmacology TMP, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry & Pharmacy, J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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10
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Luh LM, Scheib U, Juenemann K, Wortmann L, Brands M, Cromm PM. Prey for the Proteasome: Targeted Protein Degradation-A Medicinal Chemist's Perspective. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:15448-15466. [PMID: 32428344 PMCID: PMC7496094 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202004310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD), the ability to control a proteins fate by triggering its degradation in a highly selective and effective manner, has created tremendous excitement in chemical biology and drug discovery within the past decades. The TPD field is spearheaded by small molecule induced protein degradation with molecular glues and proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) paving the way to expand the druggable space and to create a new paradigm in drug discovery. However, besides the therapeutic angle of TPD a plethora of novel techniques to modulate and control protein levels have been developed. This enables chemical biologists to better understand protein function and to discover and verify new therapeutic targets. This Review gives a comprehensive overview of chemical biology techniques inducing TPD. It explains the strengths and weaknesses of these methods in the context of drug discovery and discusses their future potential from a medicinal chemist's perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Luh
- Research and DevelopmentPharmaceuticalsBayer AG13353BerlinGermany
| | - Ulrike Scheib
- Research and DevelopmentPharmaceuticalsBayer AG13353BerlinGermany
| | - Katrin Juenemann
- Research and DevelopmentPharmaceuticalsBayer AG13353BerlinGermany
| | - Lars Wortmann
- Research and DevelopmentPharmaceuticalsBayer AG13353BerlinGermany
| | - Michael Brands
- Research and DevelopmentPharmaceuticalsBayer AG13353BerlinGermany
| | - Philipp M. Cromm
- Research and DevelopmentPharmaceuticalsBayer AG13353BerlinGermany
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11
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Luh LM, Scheib U, Juenemann K, Wortmann L, Brands M, Cromm PM. Beute für das Proteasom: Gezielter Proteinabbau aus medizinalchemischer Perspektive. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202004310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Luh
- Research and Development Pharmaceuticals Bayer AG 13353 Berlin Germany
| | - Ulrike Scheib
- Research and Development Pharmaceuticals Bayer AG 13353 Berlin Germany
| | - Katrin Juenemann
- Research and Development Pharmaceuticals Bayer AG 13353 Berlin Germany
| | - Lars Wortmann
- Research and Development Pharmaceuticals Bayer AG 13353 Berlin Germany
| | - Michael Brands
- Research and Development Pharmaceuticals Bayer AG 13353 Berlin Germany
| | - Philipp M. Cromm
- Research and Development Pharmaceuticals Bayer AG 13353 Berlin Germany
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12
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Batista FA, Gyau B, Vilacha JF, Bosch SS, Lunev S, Wrenger C, Groves MR. New directions in antimalarial target validation. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020; 15:189-202. [PMID: 31959021 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2020.1691996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Malaria is one of the most prevalent human infections worldwide with over 40% of the world's population living in malaria-endemic areas. In the absence of an effective vaccine, emergence of drug-resistant strains requires urgent drug development. Current methods applied to drug target validation, a crucial step in drug discovery, possess limitations in malaria. These constraints require the development of techniques capable of simplifying the validation of Plasmodial targets.Areas covered: The authors review the current state of the art in techniques used to validate drug targets in malaria, including our contribution - the protein interference assay (PIA) - as an additional tool in rapid in vivo target validation.Expert opinion: Each technique in this review has advantages and disadvantages, implying that future validation efforts should not focus on a single approach, but integrate multiple approaches. PIA is a significant addition to the current toolset of antimalarial validation. Validation of aspartate metabolism as a druggable pathway provided proof of concept of how oligomeric interfaces can be exploited to control specific activity in vivo. PIA has the potential to be applied not only to other enzymes/pathways of the malaria parasite but could, in principle, be extrapolated to other infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando A Batista
- Structural Biology Unit, XB20 Drug Design, Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Benjamin Gyau
- Structural Biology Unit, XB20 Drug Design, Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Juliana F Vilacha
- Structural Biology Unit, XB20 Drug Design, Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Soraya S Bosch
- Structural Biology Unit, XB20 Drug Design, Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sergey Lunev
- Structural Biology Unit, XB20 Drug Design, Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Carsten Wrenger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Matthew R Groves
- Structural Biology Unit, XB20 Drug Design, Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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13
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Schaefer M, Clevert DA, Weiss B, Steffen A. PAVOOC: designing CRISPR sgRNAs using 3D protein structures and functional domain annotations. Bioinformatics 2019; 35:2309-2310. [PMID: 30445568 PMCID: PMC6596878 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bty935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY Single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting the same gene can significantly vary in terms of efficacy and specificity. PAVOOC (Prediction And Visualization of On- and Off-targets for CRISPR) is a web-based CRISPR sgRNA design tool that employs state of the art machine learning models to prioritize most effective candidate sgRNAs. In contrast to other tools, it maps sgRNAs to functional domains and protein structures and visualizes cut sites on corresponding protein crystal structures. Furthermore, PAVOOC supports homology-directed repair template generation for genome editing experiments and the visualization of the mutated amino acids in 3D. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION PAVOOC is available under https://pavooc.me and accessible using modern browsers (Chrome/Chromium recommended). The source code is hosted at github.com/moritzschaefer/pavooc under the MIT License. The backend, including data processing steps, and the frontend are implemented in Python 3 and ReactJS, respectively. All components run in a simple Docker environment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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14
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15
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Liu B, Saber A, Haisma HJ. CRISPR/Cas9: a powerful tool for identification of new targets for cancer treatment. Drug Discov Today 2019; 24:955-970. [PMID: 30849442 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2019.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated nuclease 9 (Cas9), as a powerful genome-editing tool, has revolutionized genetic engineering. It is widely used to investigate the molecular basis of different cancer types. In this review, we present an overview of recent studies in which CRISPR/Cas9 has been used for the identification of potential molecular targets. Based on the collected data, we suggest here that CRISPR/Cas9 is an effective system to distinguish between mutant and wild-type alleles in cancer. We show that several new potential therapeutic targets, such as CD38, CXCR2, MASTL, and RBX2, as well as several noncoding (nc)RNAs have been identified using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We also discuss the obstacles and challenges that we face for using CRISPR/Cas9 as a therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ali Saber
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hidde J Haisma
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
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16
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Van Vleet TR, Liguori MJ, Lynch JJ, Rao M, Warder S. Screening Strategies and Methods for Better Off-Target Liability Prediction and Identification of Small-Molecule Pharmaceuticals. SLAS DISCOVERY 2018; 24:1-24. [PMID: 30196745 DOI: 10.1177/2472555218799713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceutical discovery and development is a long and expensive process that, unfortunately, still results in a low success rate, with drug safety continuing to be a major impedance. Improved safety screening strategies and methods are needed to more effectively fill this critical gap. Recent advances in informatics are now making it possible to manage bigger data sets and integrate multiple sources of screening data in a manner that can potentially improve the selection of higher-quality drug candidates. Integrated screening paradigms have become the norm in Pharma, both in discovery screening and in the identification of off-target toxicity mechanisms during later-stage development. Furthermore, advances in computational methods are making in silico screens more relevant and suggest that they may represent a feasible option for augmenting the current screening paradigm. This paper outlines several fundamental methods of the current drug screening processes across Pharma and emerging techniques/technologies that promise to improve molecule selection. In addition, the authors discuss integrated screening strategies and provide examples of advanced screening paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terry R Van Vleet
- 1 Department of Investigative Toxicology and Pathology, AbbVie, N Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Michael J Liguori
- 1 Department of Investigative Toxicology and Pathology, AbbVie, N Chicago, IL, USA
| | - James J Lynch
- 2 Department of Integrated Science and Technology, AbbVie, N Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mohan Rao
- 1 Department of Investigative Toxicology and Pathology, AbbVie, N Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Scott Warder
- 3 Department of Target Enabling Science and Technology, AbbVie, N Chicago, IL, USA
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17
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Karlgren M, Simoff I, Keiser M, Oswald S, Artursson P. CRISPR-Cas9: A New Addition to the Drug Metabolism and Disposition Tool Box. Drug Metab Dispos 2018; 46:1776-1786. [PMID: 30126863 DOI: 10.1124/dmd.118.082842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9), i.e., CRISPR-Cas9, has been extensively used as a gene-editing technology during recent years. Unlike earlier technologies for gene editing or gene knockdown, such as zinc finger nucleases and RNA interference, CRISPR-Cas9 is comparably easy to use, affordable, and versatile. Recently, CRISPR-Cas9 has been applied in studies of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) and for ADME model generation. To date, about 50 papers have been published describing in vitro or in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing of ADME and ADME-related genes. Twenty of these papers describe gene editing of clinically relevant genes, such as ATP-binding cassette drug transporters and cytochrome P450 drug-metabolizing enzymes. With CRISPR-Cas9, the ADME tool box has been substantially expanded. This new technology allows us to develop better and more predictive in vitro and in vivo ADME models and map previously underexplored ADME genes and gene families. In this mini-review, we give an overview of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology and summarize recent applications of CRISPR-Cas9 within the ADME field. We also speculate about future applications of CRISPR-Cas9 in ADME research.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Karlgren
- Department of Pharmacy (M.Ka., P.A.), Uppsala University Drug Optimization and Pharmaceutical Profiling Platform, Department of Pharmacy (I.S.), and Science for Life Laboratory (P.A.), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, University Medicine of Greifswald, Germany (M.Ke., S.O.)
| | - I Simoff
- Department of Pharmacy (M.Ka., P.A.), Uppsala University Drug Optimization and Pharmaceutical Profiling Platform, Department of Pharmacy (I.S.), and Science for Life Laboratory (P.A.), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, University Medicine of Greifswald, Germany (M.Ke., S.O.)
| | - M Keiser
- Department of Pharmacy (M.Ka., P.A.), Uppsala University Drug Optimization and Pharmaceutical Profiling Platform, Department of Pharmacy (I.S.), and Science for Life Laboratory (P.A.), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, University Medicine of Greifswald, Germany (M.Ke., S.O.)
| | - S Oswald
- Department of Pharmacy (M.Ka., P.A.), Uppsala University Drug Optimization and Pharmaceutical Profiling Platform, Department of Pharmacy (I.S.), and Science for Life Laboratory (P.A.), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, University Medicine of Greifswald, Germany (M.Ke., S.O.)
| | - P Artursson
- Department of Pharmacy (M.Ka., P.A.), Uppsala University Drug Optimization and Pharmaceutical Profiling Platform, Department of Pharmacy (I.S.), and Science for Life Laboratory (P.A.), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, University Medicine of Greifswald, Germany (M.Ke., S.O.)
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18
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Abstract
Many results reported in the biomedical research literature cannot be independently reproduced, undermining the basic foundations of science. This overview is intended for researchers who are committed to improving the quality and integrity of biomedical science by raising awareness of both the sources of irreproducibility, and activities specifically targeted to address the issue. The irreproducibility of biomedical research is due to a variety of factors, known and unknown, that markedly influence experimental outcomes. Among the known factors are inadequate training or mentoring, or experimenter incompetence. These may result in flawed experimental design and execution that reflect a lack of planning, leading to an underpowering of a study, an absence of appropriate controls, selective data analysis, inappropriate statistical analysis, and/or investigator bias or fraud. Another frequently overlooked source of irreproducibility is failure to ensure that the equipment used is performing up to manufacturer specifications. Failure to validate/authenticate the experimental reagents is another source of irreproducibility. These include compounds, cell lines, antibodies, and the animal models used in a study. This overview discusses how a lack of validation of research reagents negatively impact experimental reproducibility, and provides guidelines to avoid these pitfalls. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Williams
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
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19
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Comess KM, McLoughlin SM, Oyer JA, Richardson PL, Stöckmann H, Vasudevan A, Warder SE. Emerging Approaches for the Identification of Protein Targets of Small Molecules - A Practitioners’ Perspective. J Med Chem 2018; 61:8504-8535. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth M. Comess
- AbbVie Inc., 1 Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064-1802, United States
| | - Shaun M. McLoughlin
- AbbVie Inc., 1 Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064-1802, United States
| | - Jon A. Oyer
- AbbVie Inc., 1 Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064-1802, United States
| | - Paul L. Richardson
- AbbVie Inc., 1 Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064-1802, United States
| | - Henning Stöckmann
- AbbVie Inc., 1 Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064-1802, United States
| | - Anil Vasudevan
- AbbVie Inc., 1 Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064-1802, United States
| | - Scott E. Warder
- AbbVie Inc., 1 Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064-1802, United States
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20
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Yang R, Lemaître V, Huang C, Haddadi A, McNaughton R, Espinosa HD. Monoclonal Cell Line Generation and CRISPR/Cas9 Manipulation via Single-Cell Electroporation. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2018; 14:e1702495. [PMID: 29430869 PMCID: PMC6016377 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201702495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 01/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Stably transfected cell lines are widely used in drug discovery and biological research to produce recombinant proteins. Generation of these cell lines requires the isolation of multiple clones, using time-consuming dilution methods, to evaluate the expression levels of the gene of interest. A new and efficient method is described for the generation of monoclonal cell lines, without the need for dilution cloning. In this new method, arrays of patterned cell colonies and single cell transfection are employed to deliver a plasmid coding for a reporter gene and conferring resistance to an antibiotic. Using a nanofountain probe electroporation system, probe positioning is achieved through a micromanipulator with sub-micron resolution and resistance-based feedback control. The array of patterned cell colonies allows for rapid selection of numerous stably transfected clonal cell lines located on the same culture well, conferring a significant advantage over slower and labor-intensive traditional methods. In addition to plasmid integration, this methodology can be seamlessly combined with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, paving the way for advanced cell engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiguo Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- iNfinitesimal LLC, Skokie, IL, 60077, USA
| | | | - Changjin Huang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- iNfinitesimal LLC, Skokie, IL, 60077, USA
| | - Abbas Haddadi
- iNfinitesimal LLC, Skokie, IL, 60077, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | | | - Horacio D Espinosa
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- iNfinitesimal LLC, Skokie, IL, 60077, USA
- Institute for Cellular Engineering Technologies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
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21
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Baliou S, Adamaki M, Kyriakopoulos AM, Spandidos DA, Panayiotidis M, Christodoulou I, Zoumpourlis V. Role of the CRISPR system in controlling gene transcription and monitoring cell fate (Review). Mol Med Rep 2017; 17:1421-1427. [PMID: 29257248 PMCID: PMC5780079 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.8099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Even though the accrual of transcripts is implicated in distinct disease states, our knowledge regarding their functional role remains obscure. The CRISPR system has surged at the forefront of genome engineering tools in the field of RNA modulation. In the present review, we discuss some exciting applications of the CRISPR system, including the manipulation of RNA sequences, the visualization of chromosomal loci in living cells and the modulation of transcription. The CRISPR system has been documented to be very reliable and specific in altering gene expression, via leveraging inactive catalytically dead CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9). In the present review, the CRISPR system is presented as an eminent tool for the meticulous analysis of gene regulation, loci mapping and complex pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Baliou
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, 11635 Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Adamaki
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, 11635 Athens, Greece
| | | | - Demetrios A Spandidos
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Michalis Panayiotidis
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
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22
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Moffat JG, Vincent F, Lee JA, Eder J, Prunotto M. Opportunities and challenges in phenotypic drug discovery: an industry perspective. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2017; 16:531-543. [PMID: 28685762 DOI: 10.1038/nrd.2017.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 496] [Impact Index Per Article: 70.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic drug discovery (PDD) approaches do not rely on knowledge of the identity of a specific drug target or a hypothesis about its role in disease, in contrast to the target-based strategies that have been widely used in the pharmaceutical industry in the past three decades. However, in recent years, there has been a resurgence in interest in PDD approaches based on their potential to address the incompletely understood complexity of diseases and their promise of delivering first-in-class drugs, as well as major advances in the tools for cell-based phenotypic screening. Nevertheless, PDD approaches also have considerable challenges, such as hit validation and target deconvolution. This article focuses on the lessons learned by researchers engaged in PDD in the pharmaceutical industry and considers the impact of 'omics' knowledge in defining a cellular disease phenotype in the era of precision medicine, introducing the concept of a chain of translatability. We particularly aim to identify features and areas in which PDD can best deliver value to drug discovery portfolios and can contribute to the identification and the development of novel medicines, and to illustrate the challenges and uncertainties that are associated with PDD in order to help set realistic expectations with regard to its benefits and costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- John G Moffat
- Biochemical &Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, California 94080, USA
| | - Fabien Vincent
- Discovery Sciences, Primary Pharmacology Group, Pfizer, Groton, Connecticut 06340, USA
| | - Jonathan A Lee
- Department of Quantitative Biology, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana 46285, USA
| | - Jörg Eder
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marco Prunotto
- Phenotype and Target ID, Chemical Biology, pRED, Roche, 4070 Basel, Switzerland. Present address: Office of Innovation, Immunology, Infectious Diseases &Ophthalmology (I2O), Roche Late Stage Development, 124 Grenzacherstrasse, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
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23
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Kaneko M, Hashikami K, Yamamoto S, Matsumoto H, Nishimoto T. Phospholamban Ablation Using CRISPR/Cas9 System Improves Mortality in a Murine Heart Failure Model. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168486. [PMID: 27992596 PMCID: PMC5161475 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) and its inhibitory protein called phospholamban (PLN) are pivotal for Ca2+ handling in cardiomyocyte and are known that their expression level and activity were changed in the heart failure patients. To examine whether PLN inhibition can improve survival rate as well as cardiac function in heart failure, we performed PLN ablation in calsequestrin overexpressing (CSQ-Tg) mice, a severe heart failure model, using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system. According this method, generation rate of PLN wild type mice (PLN copy >0.95) and PLN homozygous knockout (KO) mice (PLN copy <0.05) were 39.1% and 10.5%, respectively. While CSQ overexpression causes severe heart failure symptoms and premature death, a significant ameliorating effect on survival rate was observed in PLN homozygous KO/CSQ-Tg mice compared to PLN wild type/CSQ-Tg mice (median survival days are 55 and 50 days, respectively). Measurement of cardiac function with cardiac catheterization at the age of 5 weeks revealed that PLN ablation improved cardiac function in CSQ-Tg mice without affecting heart rate and blood pressure. Furthermore, increases in atrial and lung weight, an index of congestion, were significantly inhibited by PLN ablation. These results suggest that PLN deletion would be a promising approach to improve both mortality and cardiac function in the heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manami Kaneko
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Drug Discovery Unit, Pharmaceutical Research Division, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Kentarou Hashikami
- Integrated Technology Research Laboratories, Pharmaceutical Research Division, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Satoshi Yamamoto
- Integrated Technology Research Laboratories, Pharmaceutical Research Division, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Matsumoto
- Integrated Technology Research Laboratories, Pharmaceutical Research Division, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Nishimoto
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Drug Discovery Unit, Pharmaceutical Research Division, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
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24
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Horvath P, Aulner N, Bickle M, Davies AM, Nery ED, Ebner D, Montoya MC, Östling P, Pietiäinen V, Price LS, Shorte SL, Turcatti G, von Schantz C, Carragher NO. Screening out irrelevant cell-based models of disease. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2016; 15:751-769. [PMID: 27616293 DOI: 10.1038/nrd.2016.175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 322] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The common and persistent failures to translate promising preclinical drug candidates into clinical success highlight the limited effectiveness of disease models currently used in drug discovery. An apparent reluctance to explore and adopt alternative cell- and tissue-based model systems, coupled with a detachment from clinical practice during assay validation, contributes to ineffective translational research. To help address these issues and stimulate debate, here we propose a set of principles to facilitate the definition and development of disease-relevant assays, and we discuss new opportunities for exploiting the latest advances in cell-based assay technologies in drug discovery, including induced pluripotent stem cells, three-dimensional (3D) co-culture and organ-on-a-chip systems, complemented by advances in single-cell imaging and gene editing technologies. Funding to support precompetitive, multidisciplinary collaborations to develop novel preclinical models and cell-based screening technologies could have a key role in improving their clinical relevance, and ultimately increase clinical success rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Horvath
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged H-6726, Hungary; and at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Nathalie Aulner
- Imagopole-Citech, Institut Pasteur, Paris 75015, France.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Marc Bickle
- Technology Development Studio, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Anthony M Davies
- Translational Cell Imaging Queensland (TCIQ), Institute of Health Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4102 QLD, Australia; and The Irish National Centre for High Content Screening and Analysis, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Phase 3 Trinity Health Sciences 1.20, St James Hospital, Dublin D8, Republic of Ireland.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Elaine Del Nery
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Department of Translational Research, The Biophenics High-Content Screening Laboratory, Cell and Tissue Imaging Facility (PICT-IBiSA), F-75005, Paris, France.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Daniel Ebner
- Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Maria C Montoya
- Cellomics Unit, Cell Biology &Physiology Program, Cell &Developmental Biology Area, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid 28029, Spain.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Päivi Östling
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland.,Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 17165, Sweden.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Vilja Pietiäinen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Leo S Price
- Faculty of Science, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Toxicology, Universiteit Leiden, The Netherlands; and at OcellO, J.H Oortweg 21, 2333 CH, Leiden, The Netherlands.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Spencer L Shorte
- Imagopole-Citech, Institut Pasteur, Paris 75015, France.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Gerardo Turcatti
- Biomolecular Screening Facility, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Carina von Schantz
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00290, Finland.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
| | - Neil O Carragher
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XR, UK.,European Cell-Based Assays Interest Group
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25
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Kiessling MK, Schuierer S, Stertz S, Beibel M, Bergling S, Knehr J, Carbone W, de Vallière C, Tchinda J, Bouwmeester T, Seuwen K, Rogler G, Roma G. Identification of oncogenic driver mutations by genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 dropout screening. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:723. [PMID: 27613601 PMCID: PMC5016932 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-3042-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 dropout screens can identify genes whose knockout affects cell viability. Recent CRISPR screens detected thousands of essential genes required for cellular survival and key cellular processes; however discovering novel lineage-specific genetic dependencies from the many hits still remains a challenge. RESULTS To assess whether CRISPR-Cas9 dropout screens can help identify cancer dependencies, we screened two human cancer cell lines carrying known and distinct oncogenic mutations using a genome-wide sgRNA library. We found that the gRNA targeting the driver mutation EGFR was one of the highest-ranking candidates in the EGFR-mutant HCC-827 lung adenocarcinoma cell line. Likewise, sgRNAs for NRAS and MAP2K1 (MEK1), a downstream kinase of mutant NRAS, were identified among the top hits in the NRAS-mutant neuroblastoma cell line CHP-212. Depletion of these genes targeted by the sgRNAs strongly correlated with the sensitivity to specific kinase inhibitors of the EGFR or RAS pathway in cell viability assays. In addition, we describe other dependencies such as TBK1 in HCC-827 cells and TRIB2 in CHP-212 cells which merit further investigation. CONCLUSIONS We show that genome-wide CRISPR dropout screens are suitable for the identification of oncogenic drivers and other essential genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K. Kiessling
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sven Schuierer
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Silke Stertz
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Beibel
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Bergling
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Judith Knehr
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Walter Carbone
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cheryl de Vallière
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Joelle Tchinda
- Department of Oncology, Children University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tewis Bouwmeester
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Seuwen
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gerhard Rogler
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Guglielmo Roma
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
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26
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Cross BCS, Lawo S, Archer CR, Hunt JR, Yarker JL, Riccombeni A, Little AS, McCarthy NJ, Moore JD. Increasing the performance of pooled CRISPR-Cas9 drop-out screening. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31782. [PMID: 27545104 PMCID: PMC4992892 DOI: 10.1038/srep31782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Components of the type II CRISPR-Cas complex in bacteria have been used successfully in eukaryotic cells to facilitate rapid and accurate cell line engineering, animal model generation and functional genomic screens. Such developments are providing new opportunities for drug target identification and validation, particularly with the application of pooled genetic screening. As CRISPR-Cas is a relatively new genetic screening tool, it is important to assess its functionality in a number of different cell lines and to analyse potential improvements that might increase the sensitivity of a given screen. To examine critical aspects of screening quality, we constructed ultra-complex libraries containing sgRNA sequences targeting a collection of essential genes. We examined the performance of screening in both haploid and hypotriploid cell lines, using two alternative guide design algorithms and two tracrRNA variants in a time-resolved analysis. Our data indicate that a simple adaptation of the tracrRNA substantially improves the robustness of guide loss during a screen. This modification minimises the requirement for high numbers of sgRNAs targeting each gene, increasing hit scoring and creating a powerful new platform for successful screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedict C. S. Cross
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
| | - Steffen Lawo
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline R. Archer
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica R. Hunt
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne L. Yarker
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandro Riccombeni
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
| | - Annette S. Little
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola J. McCarthy
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan D. Moore
- Horizon Discovery, 8100 Cambridge Research Park, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9TL, United Kingdom
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Hutson PH, Clark JA, Cross AJ. CNS Target Identification and Validation: Avoiding the Valley of Death or Naive Optimism? Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2016; 57:171-187. [PMID: 27575715 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010716-104624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
There are many challenges along the path to the approval of new drugs to treat CNS disorders, one of the greatest areas of unmet medical need with a large societal burden and health-care impact. Unfortunately, over the past two decades, few CNS drug approvals have succeeded, leading many pharmaceutical companies to deprioritize this therapeutic area. The reasons for the failures in CNS drug discovery are likely to be multifactorial. However, selecting the most biologically plausible molecular targets that are relevant to the disorder is a critical first step to improve the probability of success. In this review, we outline previous methods for identifying and validating novel targets for CNS drug discovery, and, cognizant of previous failures, we discuss potential new strategies that may improve the probability of success of developing novel treatments for CNS disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- P H Hutson
- Neurobiology, CNS Discovery, Teva Pharmaceuticals, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380;
| | - J A Clark
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892;
| | - A J Cross
- Neuroscience Innovative Medicines, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239;
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28
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CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing: Delivery aspects and therapeutic potential. J Control Release 2016; 244:139-148. [PMID: 27498021 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system has taken the biomedical science field by storm, initiating rumors about future Nobel Prizes and heating up a fierce patent war, but also making significant scientific impact. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), together with CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) are a part of the prokaryotic adaptive immune system and have successfully been repurposed for genome editing in mammalian cells. The CRISPR-Cas9 system has been used to correct genetic mutations and for replacing entire genes, opening up a world of possibilities for the treatment of genetic diseases. In addition, recently some new CRISPR-Cas systems have been discovered with interesting mechanistic variations. Despite these promising developments, many challenges have to be overcome before the system can be applied therapeutically in human patients and enabling delivery technology is one of the key challenges. Furthermore, the relatively high off-target effect of the system in its current form prevents it from being safely applied directly in the human body. In this review, the transformation of the CRISPR-Cas gene editing systems into a therapeutic modality will be discussed and the currently most realistic in vivo applications will be highlighted.
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29
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Abstract
The Cas9 protein (CRISPR-associated protein 9), derived from type II CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) bacterial immune systems, is emerging as a powerful tool for engineering the genome in diverse organisms. As an RNA-guided DNA endonuclease, Cas9 can be easily programmed to target new sites by altering its guide RNA sequence, and its development as a tool has made sequence-specific gene editing several magnitudes easier. The nuclease-deactivated form of Cas9 further provides a versatile RNA-guided DNA-targeting platform for regulating and imaging the genome, as well as for rewriting the epigenetic status, all in a sequence-specific manner. With all of these advances, we have just begun to explore the possible applications of Cas9 in biomedical research and therapeutics. In this review, we describe the current models of Cas9 function and the structural and biochemical studies that support it. We focus on the applications of Cas9 for genome editing, regulation, and imaging, discuss other possible applications and some technical considerations, and highlight the many advantages that CRISPR/Cas9 technology offers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haifeng Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305; , ,
| | - Marie La Russa
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305; , ,
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Lei S Qi
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305; , ,
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
- Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
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30
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Digles D, Zdrazil B, Neefs JM, Van Vlijmen H, Herhaus C, Caracoti A, Brea J, Roibás B, Loza MI, Queralt-Rosinach N, Furlong LI, Gaulton A, Bartek L, Senger S, Chichester C, Engkvist O, Evelo CT, Franklin NI, Marren D, Ecker GF, Jacoby E. Open PHACTS computational protocols for in silico target validation of cellular phenotypic screens: knowing the knowns. MEDCHEMCOMM 2016; 7:1237-1244. [PMID: 27774140 PMCID: PMC5063042 DOI: 10.1039/c6md00065g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic screening is in a renaissance phase and is expected by many academic and industry leaders to accelerate the discovery of new drugs for new biology. Given that phenotypic screening is per definition target agnostic, the emphasis of in silico and in vitro follow-up work is on the exploration of possible molecular mechanisms and efficacy targets underlying the biological processes interrogated by the phenotypic screening experiments. Herein, we present six exemplar computational protocols for the interpretation of cellular phenotypic screens based on the integration of compound, target, pathway, and disease data established by the IMI Open PHACTS project. The protocols annotate phenotypic hit lists and allow follow-up experiments and mechanistic conclusions. The annotations included are from ChEMBL, ChEBI, GO, WikiPathways and DisGeNET. Also provided are protocols which select from the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to PHARMACOLOGY interaction file selective compounds to probe potential targets and a correlation robot which systematically aims to identify an overlap of active compounds in both the phenotypic as well as any kinase assay. The protocols are applied to a phenotypic pre-lamin A/C splicing assay selected from the ChEMBL database to illustrate the process. The computational protocols make use of the Open PHACTS API and data and are built within the Pipeline Pilot and KNIME workflow tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Digles
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry , University of Vienna , Pharmacoinformatics Research Group , Althanstraße 14 , 1090 Wien , Austria .
| | - B Zdrazil
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry , University of Vienna , Pharmacoinformatics Research Group , Althanstraße 14 , 1090 Wien , Austria .
| | - J-M Neefs
- Janssen Research & Development , Turnhoutseweg 30 , B-2340 Beerse , Belgium .
| | - H Van Vlijmen
- Janssen Research & Development , Turnhoutseweg 30 , B-2340 Beerse , Belgium .
| | - C Herhaus
- Merck KGaA, Merck Serono R&D , Computational Chemistry , Frankfurter Straße 250 , 64293 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - A Caracoti
- BIOVIA , a Dassault Systèmes brand , 334 Cambridge Science Park , Cambridge CB4 0WN , UK
| | - J Brea
- Grupo BioFarma-USEF , Departamento de Farmacología , Facultad de Farmacia , Campus Universitario Sur s/n , 15782 Santiago de Compostela , Spain
| | - B Roibás
- Grupo BioFarma-USEF , Departamento de Farmacología , Facultad de Farmacia , Campus Universitario Sur s/n , 15782 Santiago de Compostela , Spain
| | - M I Loza
- Grupo BioFarma-USEF , Departamento de Farmacología , Facultad de Farmacia , Campus Universitario Sur s/n , 15782 Santiago de Compostela , Spain
| | - N Queralt-Rosinach
- Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB) , Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) , Department of Experimental and Health Sciences , Universitat Pompeu Fabra , C/Dr Aiguader 88 , E-08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - L I Furlong
- Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB) , Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) , Department of Experimental and Health Sciences , Universitat Pompeu Fabra , C/Dr Aiguader 88 , E-08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - A Gaulton
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory , European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) , Wellcome Genome Campus , Hinxton , Cambridge CB10 1SD , UK
| | - L Bartek
- GlaxoSmithKline , Medicines Research Centre , Stevenage SG1 2NY , UK
| | - S Senger
- GlaxoSmithKline , Medicines Research Centre , Stevenage SG1 2NY , UK
| | - C Chichester
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics , CALIPHO Group , CMU Rue Michel-Servet 1 , 1211 Geneva 4 , Switzerland ; Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences SA , EPFL Innovation Park, Bâtiment H , 1015 Lausanne , Switzerland
| | - O Engkvist
- Chemistry Innovation Centre , Discovery Sciences , AstraZeneca R&D Gothenburg , SE-431 83 Mölndal , Sweden
| | - C T Evelo
- Department of Bioinformatics - BiGCaT , P.O. Box 616 , UNS50 Box19 , NL-6200MD Maastricht , The Netherlands
| | - N I Franklin
- Open Innovation Drug Discovery , Discovery Chemistry Eli Lilly and Company , Lilly Corporate Center , DC 1920 , Indianapolis , IN 46285 , USA
| | - D Marren
- Eli Lilly and Company Ltd. , Lilly Research Centre , Erl Wood Manor, Sunninghill Road , Windlesham , Surrey GU20 6PH , England , UK
| | - G F Ecker
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry , University of Vienna , Pharmacoinformatics Research Group , Althanstraße 14 , 1090 Wien , Austria .
| | - E Jacoby
- Janssen Research & Development , Turnhoutseweg 30 , B-2340 Beerse , Belgium .
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31
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Patel KA, Sethi R, Dhara AR, Roy I. Challenges with osmolytes as inhibitors of protein aggregation: Can nucleic acid aptamers provide an answer? Int J Biol Macromol 2016; 100:75-88. [PMID: 27156694 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2016.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Revised: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Protein aggregation follows some common motifs. Whether in the formation of inclusion bodies in heterologous overexpression systems or inclusions in protein conformational diseases, or aggregation during storage or transport of protein formulations, aggregates form cross beta-sheet structures and stain with amyloidophilic dyes like Thioflavin T and Congo Red, irrespective of the concerned protein. Traditionally, osmolytes are used to stabilize proteins against stress conditions. They are employed right from protein expression, through production and purification, to formulation and administration. As osmolytes interact with the solvent, the differential effect of the stress condition on the solvent mostly determines the effect of the osmolyte on protein stability. Nucleic acid aptamers, on the other hand, are highly specific for their targets. When selected against monomeric, natively folded proteins, they bind to them with very high affinity. This binding inhibits the unfolding of the protein and/or monomer-monomer interaction which are the initial common steps of protein aggregation. Thus, by changing the approach to a protein-centric model, aptamers are able to function as universal stabilizers of proteins. The review discusses cases where osmolytes were unable to provide stabilization to proteins against different stress conditions, a gap which the aptamers seem to be able to fill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinjal A Patel
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab 160 062, India
| | - Ratnika Sethi
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab 160 062, India
| | - Anita R Dhara
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab 160 062, India
| | - Ipsita Roy
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab 160 062, India.
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32
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Aouida M, Eid A, Mahfouz MM. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated target validation of the splicing inhibitor Pladienolide B. BIOCHIMIE OPEN 2016; 3:72-75. [PMID: 29450134 PMCID: PMC5801905 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopen.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9 system confers molecular immunity in archeal and bacterial species against invading foreign nucleic acids. CRISPR/Cas9 system is used for genome engineering applications across diverse eukaryotic species. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering system for drug target validation in human cells. Pladienolide B is a natural macrolide with antitumor activities mediated through the inhibition of pre-mRNA splicing. To validate the spliceosomal target of Pladienolide B, we employed the CRSIPR/Cas9 system to introduce targeted mutations in the subunits of the SF3B complex in the HEK293T cells. Our data reveal that targeted mutagenesis of the SF3b1 subunit exhibited higher levels of resistance to Pladienolide B. Therefore, our data validate the spliceosomal target of Pladienolide B and provide a proof of concept on using the CRISPR/Cas9 system for drug target identification and validation. CRISPR/Cas9 system serves as an excellent tool for drug target validation. Pladienolide B an antitumor macrolide known to bind to the SF3b complex and inhibit pre-mRNA splicing. Use of CRISPR/Cas9 system to confirm and validate the Pladienolide B spliceosomal target. Our data confirm that the SF3b1 is a specific target for Pladienolide B.
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Key Words
- AB, Alamar Blue
- CRIPSR/Cas9
- CRISPR, Clustered Regulatory Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
- Cas9, CRISPR associated protein
- DSB, double strand break
- Drug discovery
- Drug target validation
- HR, Homologous Recombination
- NHJE, Non-Homologous End-Joining
- PB, Pladienolide B
- Pladienolide B
- Pre-mRNA splicing
- SSNs, Site Specific Nucleases
- Spliceosome
- T7EI, T7 Endonuclease I
- TALENs, Transcription Like Effector Nucleases
- ZFN, Zing Finger Nucleases
- sgRNA, Guide RNA
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustapha Aouida
- Laboratory for Genome Engineering, Division of Biological Sciences & Center for Desert Agriculture, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ayman Eid
- Laboratory for Genome Engineering, Division of Biological Sciences & Center for Desert Agriculture, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Magdy M Mahfouz
- Laboratory for Genome Engineering, Division of Biological Sciences & Center for Desert Agriculture, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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33
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Chang J, Kim Y, Kwon HJ. Advances in identification and validation of protein targets of natural products without chemical modification. Nat Prod Rep 2016; 33:719-30. [DOI: 10.1039/c5np00107b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
This review focuses on and reports case studies of the latest advances in target protein identification methods for label-free natural products. The integration of newly developed technologies will provide new insights and highlight the value of natural products for use as biological probes and new drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Chang
- Department of Biotechnology
- Translational Research Center for Protein Function Control
- College of Life Science & Biotechnology
- Yonsei University
- Seoul 120-749
| | - Y. Kim
- Department of Biotechnology
- Translational Research Center for Protein Function Control
- College of Life Science & Biotechnology
- Yonsei University
- Seoul 120-749
| | - H. J. Kwon
- Department of Biotechnology
- Translational Research Center for Protein Function Control
- College of Life Science & Biotechnology
- Yonsei University
- Seoul 120-749
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34
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A Medium-Throughput Single Cell CRISPR-Cas9 Assay to Assess Gene Essentiality. Biol Proced Online 2015; 17:15. [PMID: 26578851 PMCID: PMC4647477 DOI: 10.1186/s12575-015-0028-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Target selection for oncology is a crucial step in the successful development of therapeutics. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 editing of specific loci offers an alternative method to RNA interference and small molecule inhibitors for determining whether a cell line is dependent on a specific gene product for proliferation or survival. In our initial studies using CRISPR-Cas9 to verify the dependence on EZH2 activity for proliferation of a SMARCB1/SNF5/INI1 mutant malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT) cell line, we noted that the initial reduction in proliferation was lost over time. We hypothesized that in the few cells that retain proliferative capacity, at least one allele of EZH2 remains functional. To verify this, we developed an assay to analyze 10s-100s of clonal cell populations for target gene disruption using restriction digest and fluorescent fragment length analyses. Results Our results clearly show that in cell lines in which EZH2 is essential for proliferation, at least one potentially functional allele of EZH2 is retained in the clones that survive. Conclusion This assay clearly indicates whether or not a specific gene is essential for survival and/or proliferation in a given cell line. Such data can aid the development of more robust therapeutics by increasing confidence in target selection. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12575-015-0028-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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35
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Heckenast JR, Wilkinson LS, Jones MW. Decoding Advances in Psychiatric Genetics: A Focus on Neural Circuits in Rodent Models. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2015; 92:75-106. [PMID: 26639916 DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2015.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Appropriately powered genome-wide association studies combined with deep-sequencing technologies offer the prospect of real progress in revealing the complex biological underpinnings of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Meanwhile, recent developments in genome engineering, including CRISPR, constitute better tools to move forward with investigating these genetic leads. This review aims to assess how these advances can inform the development of animal models for psychiatric disease, with a focus on schizophrenia and in vivo electrophysiological circuit-level measures with high potential as disease biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia R Heckenast
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Behavioural Genetics Group, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Lawrence S Wilkinson
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Behavioural Genetics Group, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Matthew W Jones
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, UK
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36
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Schade
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse
6, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Alleyn T. Plowright
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Innovative
Medicines, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal, 43183, Sweden
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37
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Yeger H. Come together, right now…. J Cell Commun Signal 2015. [PMID: 26208947 DOI: 10.1007/s12079-015-0301-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Editing the genome using approaches like TALEN and siRNA are already well tested. The new kid on the block is CRISPR-Cas9. CRISPR-Cas9 is rapidly evolving with impressive refinements for specificity, eliminating off-target effects, and versatility. One can adjust constructs and conditions to produce opposite effects on the genome and for a specific purpose. The nuances of the system, the means to significantly reduce off-targeting, and numerous applications are now emerging rapidly. This B&B commentary looks forward into how the CRISPR-Cas9 tool might serve the CCN field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herman Yeger
- Program in Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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38
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Ursu A, Waldmann H. Hide and seek: Identification and confirmation of small molecule protein targets. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2015; 25:3079-86. [PMID: 26115575 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Revised: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Target identification and confirmation for small molecules is often the rate limiting step in drug discovery. A robust method to identify proteins addressed by small molecules is affinity chromatography using chemical probes. These usually consist of the compound of interest equipped with a linker molecule and a proper tag. Recently, methods emerged that allow the identification of protein targets without prior functionalization of the small molecule of interest. The digest offers an update on the newest developments in the area of target identification with special focus on confirmation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei Ursu
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany; Chemical Biology, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Herbert Waldmann
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany; Chemical Biology, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44221 Dortmund, Germany.
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39
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Sweis RF. Target (In)Validation: A Critical, Sometimes Unheralded, Role of Modern Medicinal Chemistry. ACS Med Chem Lett 2015; 6:618-21. [PMID: 26101559 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.5b00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Small molecule drug discovery commonly ventures into previously unknown and unexplored target space. For such programs, an important role of medicinal chemistry is to generate molecules that enable the most reliable conclusions from a preclinical target validation/invalidation study. Multiple facets of chemistry that provide the most rigorous results for such an experiment are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramzi F. Sweis
- AbbVie, Inc., 1 North
Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
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40
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Cutler P, Voshol H. Proteomics in pharmaceutical research and development. Proteomics Clin Appl 2015; 9:643-50. [PMID: 25763573 DOI: 10.1002/prca.201400181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
In the 20 years since its inception, the evolution of proteomics in pharmaceutical industry has mirrored the developments within academia and indeed other industries. From initial enthusiasm and subsequent disappointment in global protein expression profiling, pharma research saw the biggest impact when relating to more focused approaches, such as those exploring the interaction between proteins and drugs. Nowadays, proteomics technologies have been integrated in many areas of pharmaceutical R&D, ranging from the analysis of therapeutic proteins to the monitoring of clinical trials. Here, we review the development of proteomics in the drug discovery process, placing it in a historical context as well as reviewing the current status in light of the contributions to this special issue, which reflect some of the diverse demands of the drug and biomarker pipelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Cutler
- Translational Technologies and Bioinformatics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hans Voshol
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Analytical Sciences and Imaging, Basel, Switzerland
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41
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Abstract
Targeted therapies in personalized medicine require the knowledge about the molecular changes within the patient that cause the disease. With the beginning of the new century, a plethora of new technologies became available to detect these changes and use this information as starting point for drug development. Next-generation genome sequencing and sophisticated genome-wide functional genomics' methods have led to a significant increase in the identification of novel drug target candidates and understanding of the relevance of these genomic and molecular changes for the diseases. As functional genomic tool for target identification, high-throughput gene silencing through RNA interference screening has become the established method. RNAi is discussed with its advantages and challenges in this chapter. Furthermore the potential of CRISPR/Cas9, a gene-editing method that has recently been adapted for use as functional screening tool, will be briefly reviewed.
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