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Burley SK, Wu-Wu A, Dutta S, Ganesan S, Zheng SXF. Impact of structural biology and the protein data bank on us fda new drug approvals of low molecular weight antineoplastic agents 2019-2023. Oncogene 2024; 43:2229-2243. [PMID: 38886570 PMCID: PMC11245395 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-024-03077-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Open access to three-dimensional atomic-level biostructure information from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) facilitated discovery/development of 100% of the 34 new low molecular weight, protein-targeted, antineoplastic agents approved by the US FDA 2019-2023. Analyses of PDB holdings, the scientific literature, and related documents for each drug-target combination revealed that the impact of structural biologists and public-domain 3D biostructure data was broad and substantial, ranging from understanding target biology (100% of all drug targets), to identifying a given target as likely druggable (100% of all targets), to structure-guided drug discovery (>80% of all new small-molecule drugs, made up of 50% confirmed and >30% probable cases). In addition to aggregate impact assessments, illustrative case studies are presented for six first-in-class small-molecule anti-cancer drugs, including a selective inhibitor of nuclear export targeting Exportin 1 (selinexor, Xpovio), an ATP-competitive CSF-1R receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (pexidartinib,Turalia), a non-ATP-competitive inhibitor of the BCR-Abl fusion protein targeting the myristoyl binding pocket within the kinase catalytic domain of Abl (asciminib, Scemblix), a covalently-acting G12C KRAS inhibitor (sotorasib, Lumakras or Lumykras), an EZH2 methyltransferase inhibitor (tazemostat, Tazverik), and an agent targeting the basic-Helix-Loop-Helix transcription factor HIF-2α (belzutifan, Welireg).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K Burley
- Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903, USA.
- Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
| | - Amy Wu-Wu
- Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Shuchismita Dutta
- Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903, USA
| | - Shridar Ganesan
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903, USA
| | - Steven X F Zheng
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903, USA
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2
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Koldenhof P, Bemelmans MP, Ghosh B, Damm-Ganamet KL, van Vlijmen HWT, Pande V. Application of AlphaFold models in evaluating ligandable cysteines across E3 ligases. Proteins 2024; 92:819-829. [PMID: 38337153 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are an emerging therapeutic modality and chemical biology tools for Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD). PROTACs contain a ligand targeting the protein of interest, a ligand recruiting an E3 ligase and a linker connecting these two ligands. There are over 600 E3 ligases known so far, but only a handful have been exploited for TPD applications. A key reason for this is the scarcity of ligands binding various E3 ligases and the paucity of structural data available, which complicates ligand design across the family. In this study, we aim to progress PROTAC discovery by proposing a shortlist of E3 ligases that can be prioritized for covalent targeting by performing systematic structural ligandability analysis on a chemoproteomic dataset of potentially reactive cysteines across hundreds of E3 ligases. One of the goals of this study is to apply AlphaFold (AF) models for ligandability evaluations, as for a vast majority of these ligases an experimental structure is not available in the protein data bank (PDB). Using a combination of pocket features, AF model quality and additional aspects, we propose a shortlist of E3 ligases and corresponding cysteines that can be prioritized to potentially discover covalent ligands and expand the PROTAC toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Koldenhof
- Computer-Aided Drug Design, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Beerse, Belgium
| | | | - Brahma Ghosh
- Discovery Chemistry, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - Vineet Pande
- Computer-Aided Drug Design, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Beerse, Belgium
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3
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McCarthy WJ, van der Zouwen AJ, Bush JT, Rittinger K. Covalent fragment-based drug discovery for target tractability. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 86:102809. [PMID: 38554479 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102809] [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: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
An important consideration in drug discovery is the prioritization of tractable protein targets that are not only amenable to binding small molecules, but also alter disease biology in response to small molecule binding. Covalent fragment-based drug discovery has emerged as a powerful approach to aid in the identification of such protein targets. The application of irreversible binding mechanisms enables the identification of fragment hits for challenging-to-target proteins, allows proteome-wide screening in a cellular context, and makes it possible to determine functional effects with modestly potent ligands without the requirement for extensive compound optimization. Here, we provide an overview of recent approaches to covalent fragment-based screening and discuss how these have been applied to establish the tractability of unexplored binding sites on protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J McCarthy
- Molecular Structure of Cell Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Antonie J van der Zouwen
- Molecular Structure of Cell Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jacob T Bush
- Crick-GSK Biomedical LinkLabs, GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2NY, UK. https://twitter.com/Jake_T_Bush
| | - Katrin Rittinger
- Molecular Structure of Cell Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
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Thatikonda V, Supper V, Wachter J, Kaya O, Kombara A, Bilgilier C, Ravichandran MC, Lipp JJ, Sharma R, Badertscher L, Boghossian AS, Rees MG, Ronan MM, Roth JA, Grosche S, Neumüller RA, Mair B, Mauri F, Popa A. Genetic dependencies associated with transcription factor activities in human cancer cell lines. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114175. [PMID: 38691456 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114175] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are important mediators of aberrant transcriptional programs in cancer cells. In this study, we focus on TF activity (TFa) as a biomarker for cell-line-selective anti-proliferative effects, in that high TFa predicts sensitivity to loss of function of a given gene (i.e., genetic dependencies [GDs]). Our linear-regression-based framework identifies 3,047 pan-cancer and 3,952 cancer-type-specific candidate TFa-GD associations from cell line data, which are then cross-examined for impact on survival in patient cohorts. One of the most prominent biomarkers is TEAD1 activity, whose associations with its predicted GDs are validated through experimental evidence as proof of concept. Overall, these TFa-GD associations represent an attractive resource for identifying innovative, biomarker-driven hypotheses for drug discovery programs in oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venu Thatikonda
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria.
| | - Verena Supper
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Johannes Wachter
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Onur Kaya
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Anju Kombara
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Ceren Bilgilier
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | | | - Jesse J Lipp
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Rahul Sharma
- Myllia Biotechnology GmbH, Am Kanal 27, Vienna 1110, Austria
| | | | | | - Matthew G Rees
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Melissa M Ronan
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jennifer A Roth
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sarah Grosche
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Ralph A Neumüller
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Barbara Mair
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Federico Mauri
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Alexandra Popa
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria.
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Salgado Rezende de Mendonça L, Senar S, Moreira LL, Silva Júnior JA, Nader M, Campos LA, Baltatu OC. Evidence for the druggability of aldosterone targets in heart failure: A bioinformatics and data science-driven decision-making approach. Comput Biol Med 2024; 171:108124. [PMID: 38412691 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108124] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aldosterone plays a key role in the neurohormonal drive of heart failure. Systematic prioritization of drug targets using bioinformatics and database-driven decision-making can provide a competitive advantage in therapeutic R&D. This study investigated the evidence on the druggability of these aldosterone targets in heart failure. METHODS The target disease predictability of mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and aldosterone synthase (AS) in cardiac failure was evaluated using Open Targets target-disease association scores. The Open Targets database collections were downloaded to MongoDB and queried according to the desired aggregation level, and the results were retrieved from the Europe PMC (data type: text mining), ChEMBL (data type: drugs), Open Targets Genetics Portal (data type: genetic associations), and IMPC (data type: genetic associations) databases. The target tractability of MR and AS in the cardiovascular system was investigated by computing activity scores in a curated ChEMBL database using supervised machine learning. RESULTS The medians of the association scores of the MR and AS groups were similar, indicating a comparable predictability of the target disease. The median of the MR activity scores group was significantly lower than that of AS, indicating that AS has higher target tractability than MR [Hodges-Lehmann difference 0.62 (95%CI 0.53-0.70, p < 0.0001]. The cumulative distributions of the overall multiplatform association scores of cardiac diseases with MR were considerably higher than with AS, indicating more advanced investigations on a wider range of disorders evaluated for MR (Kolmogorov-Smirnov D = 0.36, p = 0.0009). In curated ChEMBL, MR had a higher cumulative distribution of activity scores in experimental cardiovascular assays than AS (Kolmogorov-Smirnov D = 0.23, p < 0.0001). Documented clinical trials for MR in heart failures surfaced in database searches, none for AS. CONCLUSIONS Although its clinical development has lagged behind that of MR, our findings indicate that AS is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiac failure. The multiplatform-integrated identification used in this study allowed us to comprehensively explore the available scientific evidence on MR and AS for heart failure therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Salgado Rezende de Mendonça
- Center of Innovation, Technology, and Education (CITE) at Anhembi Morumbi University, Anima Institute, Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil
| | | | - Luana Lorena Moreira
- Center of Innovation, Technology, and Education (CITE) at Anhembi Morumbi University, Anima Institute, Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil
| | | | - Moni Nader
- College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Luciana Aparecida Campos
- Center of Innovation, Technology, and Education (CITE) at Anhembi Morumbi University, Anima Institute, Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil.
| | - Ovidiu Constantin Baltatu
- Center of Innovation, Technology, and Education (CITE) at Anhembi Morumbi University, Anima Institute, Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil.
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6
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Halder A, Drummond E. Strategies for translating proteomics discoveries into drug discovery for dementia. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:132-139. [PMID: 37488854 PMCID: PMC10479849 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.373681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies, diseases characterized by neuropathological aggregates of tau including Alzheimer's disease and subtypes of frontotemporal dementia, make up the vast majority of dementia cases. Although there have been recent developments in tauopathy biomarkers and disease-modifying treatments, ongoing progress is required to ensure these are effective, economical, and accessible for the globally ageing population. As such, continued identification of new potential drug targets and biomarkers is critical. "Big data" studies, such as proteomics, can generate information on thousands of possible new targets for dementia diagnostics and therapeutics, but currently remain underutilized due to the lack of a clear process by which targets are selected for future drug development. In this review, we discuss current tauopathy biomarkers and therapeutics, and highlight areas in need of improvement, particularly when addressing the needs of frail, comorbid and cognitively impaired populations. We highlight biomarkers which have been developed from proteomic data, and outline possible future directions in this field. We propose new criteria by which potential targets in proteomics studies can be objectively ranked as favorable for drug development, and demonstrate its application to our group's recent tau interactome dataset as an example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Halder
- School of Medical Sciences and Brain & Mind Center, University of Sydney, NSW, Sydney, Australia
- Department of Aged Care, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Eleanor Drummond
- School of Medical Sciences and Brain & Mind Center, University of Sydney, NSW, Sydney, Australia
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7
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West CE, Karim M, Falaguera MJ, Speidel L, Green CJ, Logie L, Schwartzentruber J, Ochoa D, Lord JM, Ferguson MAJ, Bountra C, Wilkinson GF, Vaughan B, Leach AR, Dunham I, Marsden BD. Integrative GWAS and co-localisation analysis suggests novel genes associated with age-related multimorbidity. Sci Data 2023; 10:655. [PMID: 37749083 PMCID: PMC10520009 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02513-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Advancing age is the greatest risk factor for developing multiple age-related diseases. Therapeutic approaches targeting the underlying pathways of ageing, rather than individual diseases, may be an effective way to treat and prevent age-related morbidity while reducing the burden of polypharmacy. We harness the Open Targets Genetics Portal to perform a systematic analysis of nearly 1,400 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) mapped to 34 age-related diseases and traits, identifying genetic signals that are shared between two or more of these traits. Using locus-to-gene (L2G) mapping, we identify 995 targets with shared genetic links to age-related diseases and traits, which are enriched in mechanisms of ageing and include known ageing and longevity-related genes. Of these 995 genes, 128 are the target of an approved or investigational drug, 526 have experimental evidence of binding pockets or are predicted to be tractable, and 341 have no existing tractability evidence, representing underexplored genes which may reveal novel biological insights and therapeutic opportunities. We present these candidate targets for exploration and prioritisation in a web application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare E West
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK.
| | - Mohd Karim
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Maria J Falaguera
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Leo Speidel
- Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Genetics Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Lisa Logie
- Drug Discovery Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
- Medicines Discovery Catapult, 35 Mereside Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK
| | - Jeremy Schwartzentruber
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - David Ochoa
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Janet M Lord
- MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Chas Bountra
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Graeme F Wilkinson
- Medicines Discovery Catapult, 35 Mereside Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK
| | - Beverley Vaughan
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrew R Leach
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Ian Dunham
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Brian D Marsden
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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8
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Rasooly D, Peloso GM, Pereira AC, Dashti H, Giambartolomei C, Wheeler E, Aung N, Ferolito BR, Pietzner M, Farber-Eger EH, Wells QS, Kosik NM, Gaziano L, Posner DC, Bento AP, Hui Q, Liu C, Aragam K, Wang Z, Charest B, Huffman JE, Wilson PWF, Phillips LS, Whittaker J, Munroe PB, Petersen SE, Cho K, Leach AR, Magariños MP, Gaziano JM, Langenberg C, Sun YV, Joseph J, Casas JP. Genome-wide association analysis and Mendelian randomization proteomics identify drug targets for heart failure. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3826. [PMID: 37429843 PMCID: PMC10333277 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39253-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We conduct a large-scale meta-analysis of heart failure genome-wide association studies (GWAS) consisting of over 90,000 heart failure cases and more than 1 million control individuals of European ancestry to uncover novel genetic determinants for heart failure. Using the GWAS results and blood protein quantitative loci, we perform Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses on human proteins to provide putative causal evidence for the role of druggable proteins in the genesis of heart failure. We identify 39 genome-wide significant heart failure risk variants, of which 18 are previously unreported. Using a combination of Mendelian randomization proteomics and genetic cis-only colocalization analyses, we identify 10 additional putatively causal genes for heart failure. Findings from GWAS and Mendelian randomization-proteomics identify seven (CAMK2D, PRKD1, PRKD3, MAPK3, TNFSF12, APOC3 and NAE1) proteins as potential targets for interventions to be used in primary prevention of heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Rasooly
- Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA, 02130, USA.
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA.
| | - Gina M Peloso
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Ave Crosstown Centre, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Alexandre C Pereira
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Cardiology, Heart Institute, University of São Paulo, Av Dr Eneas de Carvalho Aguiar 54, São Paulo, 5403000, Brazil
- Genetics Department, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Hesam Dashti
- Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main St., Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Claudia Giambartolomei
- Health Data Science Centre, Human Technopole, V.le Rita Levi-Montalcini, 1, Milan, 20157, Italy
- Central RNA Lab, Non-coding RNAs and RNA-based Therapeutics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genova, Italy
| | - Eleanor Wheeler
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, IMS, Box 285, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Nay Aung
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, West Smithfield, London, UK
| | - Brian R Ferolito
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Maik Pietzner
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, IMS, Box 285, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
- Computational Medicine, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Kapelle Ufer 2, Berlin, 10117, Germany
- Precision Healthcare University Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Eric H Farber-Eger
- Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Quinn Stanton Wells
- Vanderbilt University Med. Ctr., Departments of Medicine (Cardiology), Biomedical Informatics, and Pharmacology, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nicole M Kosik
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Liam Gaziano
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- BHF Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Worts Causeway, Cambridge, CB1 8RN, UK
| | - Daniel C Posner
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - A Patrícia Bento
- Department of Chemical Biology, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Qin Hui
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Atlanta VA Health Care System, 1670 Clairmont Road, Decatur, GA, 30033, USA
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Krishna Aragam
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main St., Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Zeyuan Wang
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Brian Charest
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Jennifer E Huffman
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Peter W F Wilson
- Atlanta VA Health Care System, 1670 Clairmont Road, Decatur, GA, 30033, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 1639 Pierce Dr NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Lawrence S Phillips
- Atlanta VA Health Care System, 1670 Clairmont Road, Decatur, GA, 30033, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMRB 1027, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - John Whittaker
- MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SR, United Kingdom
| | - Patricia B Munroe
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- National Institute for Health Research, Barts Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Steffen E Petersen
- Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, West Smithfield, London, UK
- William Harvey Research Institute, NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 68Q, UK
| | - Kelly Cho
- Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Andrew R Leach
- Department of Chemical Biology, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - María Paula Magariños
- Department of Chemical Biology, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - John Michael Gaziano
- Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Claudia Langenberg
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, IMS, Box 285, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
- Computational Medicine, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Kapelle Ufer 2, Berlin, 10117, Germany
- Precision Healthcare University Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Yan V Sun
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Atlanta VA Health Care System, 1670 Clairmont Road, Decatur, GA, 30033, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, 1639 Pierce Dr NE, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Jacob Joseph
- Cardiology Section, VA Providence Healthcare System, 830 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence, RI, 02908, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
| | - Juan P Casas
- Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150. S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
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9
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Baldo P, De Re V, Garutti M. How will the identification and therapeutic intervention of genetic targets in oncology evolve for future therapy? Expert Opin Ther Targets 2023; 27:1189-1194. [PMID: 38095918 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2023.2295493] [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: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Mapping of the human genome, together with the broad understanding of new biomolecular pathways involved in cancer development, represents a huge dividing line for advances in cancer treatment. This special article aims to express the next evolution of cancer therapy, while also considering the challenges and uncertainties facing future directions. AREA COVERED The recent achievements of medical science in the oncology field concern both new diagnostic techniques, such as liquid biopsy, and therapeutic strategies with innovative anticancer drugs. Although several molecular characteristics of tumors are linked to the tissue of origin, some mutations are shared by multiple tumor histologies, thus paving the way for what is called 'precision oncology.' The article highlights the importance of identifying new mutations and biomolecular pathways that can be pursued with new anticancer drugs. EXPERT OPINION Oncology and medical science have made great progress in understanding new molecular targets; being able to early identify tumor markers that are not confined to a single organ through minimally invasive diagnostic techniques allows us to design new effective therapeutic strategies. Multidisciplinary teams now aim to evaluate the most appropriate and personalized diagnostic/therapeutic approach for the individual patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Baldo
- Hospital Pharmacy Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano, CRO Aviano, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Valli De Re
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano, CRO Aviano, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Mattia Garutti
- Department of Medical Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano, CRO Aviano, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
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10
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Narganes-Carlón D, Crowther DJ, Pearson ER. A publication-wide association study (PWAS), historical language models to prioritise novel therapeutic drug targets. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8366. [PMID: 37225853 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35597-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Most biomedical knowledge is published as text, making it challenging to analyse using traditional statistical methods. In contrast, machine-interpretable data primarily comes from structured property databases, which represent only a fraction of the knowledge present in the biomedical literature. Crucial insights and inferences can be drawn from these publications by the scientific community. We trained language models on literature from different time periods to evaluate their ranking of prospective gene-disease associations and protein-protein interactions. Using 28 distinct historical text corpora of abstracts published between 1995 and 2022, we trained independent Word2Vec models to prioritise associations that were likely to be reported in future years. This study demonstrates that biomedical knowledge can be encoded as word embeddings without the need for human labelling or supervision. Language models effectively capture drug discovery concepts such as clinical tractability, disease associations, and biochemical pathways. Additionally, these models can prioritise hypotheses years before their initial reporting. Our findings underscore the potential for extracting yet-to-be-discovered relationships through data-driven approaches, leading to generalised biomedical literature mining for potential therapeutic drug targets. The Publication-Wide Association Study (PWAS) enables the prioritisation of under-explored targets and provides a scalable system for accelerating early-stage target ranking, irrespective of the specific disease of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Narganes-Carlón
- Division of Population Health and Genomics, Ninewells Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK.
- Exscientia Ltd, Dundee One, River Court, 5 West Victoria Dock Road, Dundee, DD1 3JT, UK.
| | - Daniel J Crowther
- Exscientia Ltd, Dundee One, River Court, 5 West Victoria Dock Road, Dundee, DD1 3JT, UK
| | - Ewan R Pearson
- Division of Population Health and Genomics, Ninewells Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
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11
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Campos LA, Baltatu OC, Senar S, Ghimouz R, Alefishat E, Cipolla-Neto J. Multiplatform-Integrated Identification of Melatonin Targets for a Triad of Psychosocial-Sleep/Circadian-Cardiometabolic Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24010860. [PMID: 36614302 PMCID: PMC9821171 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Several psychosocial, sleep/circadian, and cardiometabolic disorders have intricately interconnected pathologies involving melatonin disruption. Therefore, we hypothesize that melatonin could be a therapeutic target for treating potential comorbid diseases associated with this triad of psychosocial-sleep/circadian-cardiometabolic disorders. We investigated melatonin's target prediction and tractability for this triad of disorders. The melatonin's target prediction for the proposed psychosocial-sleep/circadian-cardiometabolic disorder triad was investigated using databases from Europe PMC, ChEMBL, Open Targets Genetics, Phenodigm, and PheWAS. The association scores for melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2 with this disorder triad were explored for evidence of target-disease predictions. The potential of melatonin as a tractable target in managing the disorder triad was investigated using supervised machine learning to identify melatonin activities in cardiovascular, neuronal, and metabolic assays at the cell, tissue, and organism levels in a curated ChEMBL database. Target-disease visualization was done by graphs created using "igraph" library-based scripts and displayed using the Gephi ForceAtlas algorithm. The combined Europe PMC (data type: text mining), ChEMBL (data type: drugs), Open Targets Genetics Portal (data type: genetic associations), PhenoDigm (data type: animal models), and PheWAS (data type: genetic associations) databases yielded types and varying levels of evidence for melatonin-disease triad correlations. Of the investigated databases, 235 association scores of melatonin receptors with the targeted diseases were greater than 0.2; to classify the evidence per disease class: 37% listed psychosocial disorders, 9% sleep/circadian disorders, and 54% cardiometabolic disorders. Using supervised machine learning, 546 cardiovascular, neuronal, or metabolic experimental assays with predicted or measured melatonin activity scores were identified in the ChEMBL curated database. Of 248 registered trials, 144 phase I to IV trials for melatonin or agonists have been completed, of which 33.3% were for psychosocial disorders, 59.7% were for sleep/circadian disorders, and 6.9% were for cardiometabolic disorders. Melatonin's druggability was evidenced by evaluating target prediction and tractability for the triad of psychosocial-sleep/circadian-cardiometabolic disorders. While melatonin research and development in sleep/circadian and psychosocial disorders is more advanced, as evidenced by melatonin association scores, substantial evidence on melatonin discovery in cardiovascular and metabolic disorders supports continued R&D in cardiometabolic disorders, as evidenced by melatonin activity scores. A multiplatform analysis provided an integrative assessment of the target-disease investigations that may justify further translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Aparecida Campos
- Center of Innovation, Technology, and Education (CITE) at Anhembi Morumbi University—Anima Institute, Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park, Sao Jose dos Campos 12247-016, Brazil
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine and Health Science, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
- Correspondence: (L.A.C.); (O.C.B.)
| | - Ovidiu Constantin Baltatu
- Center of Innovation, Technology, and Education (CITE) at Anhembi Morumbi University—Anima Institute, Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park, Sao Jose dos Campos 12247-016, Brazil
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine and Health Science, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
- Correspondence: (L.A.C.); (O.C.B.)
| | | | - Rym Ghimouz
- Fatima College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 3798, United Arab Emirates
| | - Eman Alefishat
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Health Science, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
- Center for Biotechnology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
| | - José Cipolla-Neto
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
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12
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Stahlecker J, Klett T, Schwer M, Jaag S, Dammann M, Ernst LN, Braun MB, Zimmermann MO, Kramer M, Lämmerhofer M, Stehle T, Coles M, Boeckler FM. Revisiting a challenging p53 binding site: a diversity-optimized HEFLib reveals diverse binding modes in T-p53C-Y220C. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:1575-1586. [PMID: 36561072 PMCID: PMC9749929 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00246a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular tumor antigen p53 is a key component in cell cycle control. The mutation Y220C heavily destabilizes the protein thermally but yields a druggable crevice. We have screened the diversity-optimized halogen-enriched fragment library against T-p53C-Y220C with STD-NMR and DSF to identify hits, which we validated by 1H,15N-HSQC NMR. We could identify four hits binding in the Y220C cleft, one hit binding covalently and four hits binding to an uncharacterized binding site. Compound 1151 could be crystallized showing a flip of C220 and thus opening subsite 3. Additionally, 4482 was identified to alkylate cysteines. Data shows that the diversity-optimized HEFLib leads to multiple diverse hits. The identified scaffolds can be used to further optimize interactions with T-p53C-Y220C and increase thermal stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Stahlecker
- Lab for Molecular Design & Pharm. Biophysics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Theresa Klett
- Lab for Molecular Design & Pharm. Biophysics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Martin Schwer
- Lab for Molecular Design & Pharm. Biophysics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Simon Jaag
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical (Bio-)Analysis, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Marcel Dammann
- Lab for Molecular Design & Pharm. Biophysics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Larissa N Ernst
- Lab for Molecular Design & Pharm. Biophysics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Michael B Braun
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 34 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Markus O Zimmermann
- Lab for Molecular Design & Pharm. Biophysics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Markus Kramer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 18 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Michael Lämmerhofer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical (Bio-)Analysis, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Thilo Stehle
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 34 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Murray Coles
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen Max-Planck-Ring 5 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Frank M Boeckler
- Lab for Molecular Design & Pharm. Biophysics, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
- Interfaculty Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBMI), Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Sand 14 72076 Tübingen Germany
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13
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Increased slow dynamics defines ligandability of BTB domains. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6989. [PMID: 36384931 PMCID: PMC9668832 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34599-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient determination of protein ligandability, or the propensity to bind small-molecules, would greatly facilitate drug development for novel targets. Ligandability is currently assessed using computational methods that typically consider the static structural properties of putative binding sites or by experimental fragment screening. Here, we evaluate ligandability of conserved BTB domains from the cancer-relevant proteins LRF, KAISO, and MIZ1. Using fragment screening, we discover that MIZ1 binds multiple ligands. However, no ligands are uncovered for the structurally related KAISO or LRF. To understand the principles governing ligand-binding by BTB domains, we perform comprehensive NMR-based dynamics studies and find that only the MIZ1 BTB domain exhibits backbone µs-ms time scale motions. Interestingly, residues with elevated dynamics correspond to the binding site of fragment hits and recently defined HUWE1 interaction site. Our data argue that examining protein dynamics using NMR can contribute to identification of cryptic binding sites, and may support prediction of the ligandability of novel challenging targets.
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14
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Radoux CJ, Vianello F, McGreig J, Desai N, Bradley AR. The druggable genome: Twenty years later. FRONTIERS IN BIOINFORMATICS 2022; 2:958378. [PMID: 36304325 PMCID: PMC9580872 DOI: 10.3389/fbinf.2022.958378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The concept of the druggable genome has been with us for 20 years. During this time, researchers have developed several methods and resources to help assess a target’s druggability. In parallel, evidence for target-disease associations has been collated at scale by Open Targets. More recently, the Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) have built a knowledge base matching per-residue annotations with available protein structure. While each resource is useful in isolation, we believe there is enormous potential in bringing all relevant data into a single knowledge graph, from gene-level to protein residue. Automation is vital for the processing and assessment of all available structures. We have developed scalable, automated workflows that provide hotspot-based druggability assessments for all available structures across large numbers of targets. Ultimately, we will run our method at a proteome scale, an ambition made more realistic by the arrival of AlphaFold 2. Bringing together annotations from the residue up to the gene level and building connections within the graph to represent pathways or protein-protein interactions will create complexity that mirrors the biological systems they represent. Such complexity is difficult for the human mind to utilise effectively, particularly at scale. We believe that graph-based AI methods will be able to expertly navigate such a knowledge graph, selecting the targets of the future.
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15
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Sánchez-Ruiz A, Colmenarejo G. Systematic Analysis and Prediction of the Target Space of Bioactive Food Compounds: Filling the Chemobiological Gaps. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:3734-3751. [PMID: 35938782 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Food compounds and their molecular interactions are crucial for health and provide new chemotypes and targets for drug and nutraceutic design. Here, we retrieve and analyze the complete set of published interactions of food compounds with human proteins using the FooDB as a compound set and ChEMBL as a source of interactions. The data are analyzed in terms of 19 target classes and 19 compound classes, showing a small fraction of target assignment for the compounds (1.6%) and unraveling multiple gaps in the chemobiological space for these molecules. By using well-established cheminformatic approaches [similarity ensemble approach (SEA) combined with the maximum Tanimoto coefficient to the nearest bioactive, "SEA + TC"], we achieve a much enhanced target assignment (64.2%), filling many of the gaps with target hypothesis for fast focused testing. By publishing these data sets and analyses, we expect to provide a set of resources to speed up the full clarification of the chemobiological space of food compounds, opening new opportunities for drug and nutraceutic design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Sánchez-Ruiz
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Unit, IMDEA Food, CEI UAM+CSIC, E28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Colmenarejo
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Unit, IMDEA Food, CEI UAM+CSIC, E28049 Madrid, Spain
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16
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Yim S, Hwang W, Han N, Lee D. Computational Discovery of Cancer Immunotherapy Targets by Intercellular CRISPR Screens. Front Immunol 2022; 13:884561. [PMID: 35651625 PMCID: PMC9149307 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.884561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy targets the interplay between immune and cancer cells. In particular, interactions between cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and cancer cells, such as PD-1 (PDCD1) binding PD-L1 (CD274), are crucial for cancer cell clearance. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting these interactions are effective only in a subset of patients, requiring the identification of novel immunotherapy targets. Genome-wide clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) screening in either cancer or immune cells has been employed to discover regulators of immune cell function. However, CRISPR screens in a single cell type complicate the identification of essential intercellular interactions. Further, pooled screening is associated with high noise levels. Herein, we propose intercellular CRISPR screens, a computational approach for the analysis of genome-wide CRISPR screens in every interacting cell type for the discovery of intercellular interactions as immunotherapeutic targets. We used two publicly available genome-wide CRISPR screening datasets obtained while triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and CTLs were interacting. We analyzed 4825 interactions between 1391 ligands and receptors on TNBC cells and CTLs to evaluate their effects on CTL function. Intercellular CRISPR screens discovered targets of approved drugs, a few of which were not identifiable in single datasets. To evaluate the method's performance, we used data for cytokines and costimulatory molecules as they constitute the majority of immunotherapeutic targets. Combining both CRISPR datasets improved the recall of discovering these genes relative to using single CRISPR datasets over two-fold. Our results indicate that intercellular CRISPR screens can suggest novel immunotherapy targets that are not obtained through individual CRISPR screens. The pipeline can be extended to other cancer and immune cell types to discover important intercellular interactions as potential immunotherapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soorin Yim
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea.,Bio-Synergy Research Center, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Woochang Hwang
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Namshik Han
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Doheon Lee
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea.,Bio-Synergy Research Center, Daejeon, South Korea
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17
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Chen EP, Bondi RW, Zhang C, Price DJ, Ho MH, Armacost KA, DeMartino MP. Applications of Model-Based Target Pharmacology Assessment in Defining Drug Design and DMPK Strategies: GSK Experiences. J Med Chem 2022; 65:6926-6939. [PMID: 35500041 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many critical decisions faced in early discovery require a thorough understanding of the dynamic behavior of pharmacological pathways following target engagement. From fundamental decisions on the optimal target to pursue and the ultimate drug product profile (combination of modality, potency, and compound properties) expected to elicit the desired clinical outcome to tactical program decisions such as what chemical series to pursue, what chemical properties require optimization, and what compounds to synthesize and progress, all demand detailed consideration of pharmacodynamics. Model-based target pharmacology assessment (mTPA) is a computational approach centered around large-scale virtual exploration of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models built early in discovery to guide these decisions. The present work summarizes several examples (use cases) from programs at GlaxoSmithKline that demonstrate the utility of mTPA throughout the drug discovery lifecycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emile P Chen
- Systems Modeling and Translational Biology, Computational Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Robert W Bondi
- Systems Modeling and Translational Biology, Computational Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Carolyn Zhang
- Systems Modeling and Translational Biology, Computational Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Daniel J Price
- Molecular Design, Computational Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Ming-Hsun Ho
- Molecular Design, Computational Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Kira A Armacost
- Molecular Design, Computational Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Michael P DeMartino
- Medicinal Chemistry, Medicine Design, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
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18
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Gogleva A, Polychronopoulos D, Pfeifer M, Poroshin V, Ughetto M, Martin MJ, Thorpe H, Bornot A, Smith PD, Sidders B, Dry JR, Ahdesmäki M, McDermott U, Papa E, Bulusu KC. Knowledge graph-based recommendation framework identifies drivers of resistance in EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1667. [PMID: 35351890 PMCID: PMC8964738 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29292-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Resistance to EGFR inhibitors (EGFRi) presents a major obstacle in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). One of the most exciting new ways to find potential resistance markers involves running functional genetic screens, such as CRISPR, followed by manual triage of significantly enriched genes. This triage process to identify ‘high value’ hits resulting from the CRISPR screen involves manual curation that requires specialized knowledge and can take even experts several months to comprehensively complete. To find key drivers of resistance faster we build a recommendation system on top of a heterogeneous biomedical knowledge graph integrating pre-clinical, clinical, and literature evidence. The recommender system ranks genes based on trade-offs between diverse types of evidence linking them to potential mechanisms of EGFRi resistance. This unbiased approach identifies 57 resistance markers from >3,000 genes, reducing hit identification time from months to minutes. In addition to reproducing known resistance markers, our method identifies previously unexplored resistance mechanisms that we prospectively validate. Resistance to EGFR inhibitors presents a major obstacle in treating non-small cell lung cancer. Here, the authors develop a recommender system ranking genes based on trade-offs between diverse types of evidence linking them to potential mechanisms of EGFRi resistance.
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19
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Systematic illumination of druggable genes in cancer genomes. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110400. [PMID: 35196490 PMCID: PMC8919705 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
By combining 6 druggable genome resources, we identify 6,083 genes as potential druggable genes (PDGs). We characterize their expression, recurrent genomic alterations, cancer dependencies, and therapeutic potentials by integrating genome, functionome, and druggome profiles across cancers. 81.5% of PDGs are reliably expressed in major adult cancers, 46.9% show selective expression patterns, and 39.1% exhibit at least one recurrent genomic alteration. We annotate a total of 784 PDGs as dependent genes for cancer cell growth. We further quantify 16 cancer-related features and estimate a PDG cancer drug target score (PCDT score). PDGs with higher PCDT scores are significantly enriched for genes encoding kinases and histone modification enzymes. Importantly, we find that a considerable portion of high PCDT score PDGs are understudied genes, providing unexplored opportunities for drug development in oncology. By integrating the druggable genome and the cancer genome, our study thus generates a comprehensive blueprint of potential druggable genes across cancers. Jiang et al. generate a comprehensive blueprint of potential druggable genes (PDGs) across cancers by a systematic integration of the druggable genome and the cancer genome. This resource is publicly available to the cancer research community in The Cancer Druggable Gene Atlas (TCDA) through the Functional Cancer Genome data portal.
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20
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Fragment-based exploration of the 14-3-3/Amot-p130 interface. Curr Res Struct Biol 2022; 4:21-28. [PMID: 35036934 PMCID: PMC8743172 DOI: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2021.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The modulation of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) has developed into a well-established field of drug discovery. Despite the advances achieved in the field, many PPIs are still deemed as ‘undruggable’ targets and the design of PPIs stabilizers remains a significant challenge. The application of fragment-based methods for the identification of drug leads and to evaluate the ‘tractability’ of the desired protein target has seen a remarkable development in recent years. In this study, we explore the molecular characteristics of the 14-3-3/Amot-p130 PPI and the conceptual possibility of targeting this interface using X-ray crystallography fragment-based screening. We report the first structural elucidation of the 14-3-3 binding motif of Amot-p130 and the characterization of the binding mode and affinities involved. We made use of fragments to probe the ‘ligandability’ of the 14-3-3/Amot-p130 composite binding pocket. Here we disclose initial hits with promising stabilizing activity and an early-stage selectivity toward the Amot-p130 motifs over other representatives 14-3-3 partners. Our findings highlight the potential of using fragments to characterize and explore proteins' surfaces and might provide a starting point toward the development of small molecules capable of acting as molecular glues. Phosphorylation of Ser 175 mediates binding of Amot-p130 to 14-3-3. The crystal structure of the 14-3-3σΔC/Amot-p130 peptide complex describes the interface. A fragment-based exploration of the interface assesses ‘ligandability’. Fragments binding at the 14-3-3/Amot-p130 interface display an initial stabilizing activity.
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Key Words
- 14-3-3 /protein-protein interactions stabilizers
- AIP4, Atrophin-1 interacting protein 4
- Amot, Angiomotin
- Amot-p130
- AmotL1/2, Angiomotin-like 1/2
- FBDD, Fragment-based drug discovery
- FP, Fluorescence polarization
- Fragment-based drug discovery
- Lats 1/2, Large tumor suppressor 1/2
- Ligandability
- MST, Microscale thermophoresis
- PPI, Protein-protein interaction
- PTMs, post-translational modifications
- X-ray crystallography
- YAP1, Yes-associated protein 1
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21
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Fang H, Knight JC. Priority index: database of genetic targets in immune-mediated disease. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:D1358-D1367. [PMID: 34751399 PMCID: PMC8728240 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a comprehensive and unique database 'Priority index' (Pi; http://pi.well.ox.ac.uk) of prioritized genes encoding potential therapeutic targets that encompasses all major immune-mediated diseases. We provide targets at the gene level, each receiving a 5-star rating supported by: genomic evidence arising from disease genome-wide associations and functional immunogenomics, annotation evidence using ontologies restricted to genes with genomic evidence, and network evidence from protein interactions. Target genes often act together in related molecular pathways. The underlying Pi approach is unique in identifying a network of highly rated genes that mediate pathway crosstalk. In the Pi website, disease-centric pages are specially designed to enable the users to browse a complete list of prioritized genes and also a manageable list of nodal genes at the pathway crosstalk level; both switchable by clicks. Moreover, target genes are cross-referenced and supported using additional information, particularly regarding tractability, including druggable pockets viewed in 3D within protein structures. Target genes highly rated across diseases suggest drug repurposing opportunity, while genes in a particular disease reveal disease-specific targeting potential. To facilitate the ease of such utility, cross-disease comparisons involving multiple diseases are also supported. This facility, together with the faceted search, enhances integrative mining of the Pi resource to accelerate early-stage therapeutic target identification and validation leveraging human genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai Fang
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Centre for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Julian C Knight
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
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22
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BEHZADI PAYAM, GAJDÁCS MÁRIÓ. Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB): A virtual treasure for research in biotechnology. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2021; 11:77-86. [PMID: 34908533 PMCID: PMC8830413 DOI: 10.1556/1886.2021.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RSCB PDB) provides a wide range of digital data regarding biology and biomedicine. This huge internet resource involves a wide range of important biological data, obtained from experiments around the globe by different scientists. The Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) represents a brilliant collection of 3D structure data associated with important and vital biomolecules including nucleic acids (RNAs and DNAs) and proteins. Moreover, this database accumulates knowledge regarding function and evolution of biomacromolecules which supports different disciplines such as biotechnology. 3D structure, functional characteristics and phylogenetic properties of biomacromolecules give a deep understanding of the biomolecules' characteristics. An important advantage of the wwPDB database is the data updating time, which is done every week. This updating process helps users to have the newest data and information for their projects. The data and information in wwPDB can be a great support to have an accurate imagination and illustrations of the biomacromolecules in biotechnology. As demonstrated by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, rapidly reliable and accessible biological data for microbiology, immunology, vaccinology, and drug development are critical to address many healthcare-related challenges that are facing humanity. The aim of this paper is to introduce the readers to wwPDB, and to highlight the importance of this database in biotechnology, with the expectation that the number of scientists interested in the utilization of Protein Data Bank's resources will increase substantially in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- PAYAM BEHZADI
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, 37541-374, Iran
| | - MÁRIÓ GAJDÁCS
- Department of Oral Biology and Experimental Dental Research, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Szeged, 6720, Szeged, Hungary,*Corresponding author. Tel.: +36-62-342-532. E-mail:
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23
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The Cancer Surfaceome Atlas integrates genomic, functional and drug response data to identify actionable targets. NATURE CANCER 2021; 2:1406-1422. [PMID: 35121907 PMCID: PMC9940627 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-021-00282-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Cell-surface proteins (SPs) are a rich source of immune and targeted therapies. By systematically integrating single-cell and bulk genomics, functional studies and target actionability, in the present study we comprehensively identify and annotate genes encoding SPs (GESPs) pan-cancer. We characterize GESP expression patterns, recurrent genomic alterations, essentiality, receptor-ligand interactions and therapeutic potential. We also find that mRNA expression of GESPs is cancer-type specific and positively correlates with protein expression, and that certain GESP subgroups function as common or specific essential genes for tumor cell growth. We also predict receptor-ligand interactions substantially deregulated in cancer and, using systems biology approaches, we identify cancer-specific GESPs with therapeutic potential. We have made this resource available through the Cancer Surfaceome Atlas ( http://fcgportal.org/TCSA ) within the Functional Cancer Genome data portal.
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24
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Schneider M, Radoux CJ, Hercules A, Ochoa D, Dunham I, Zalmas LP, Hessler G, Ruf S, Shanmugasundaram V, Hann MM, Thomas PJ, Queisser MA, Benowitz AB, Brown K, Leach AR. The PROTACtable genome. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2021; 20:789-797. [PMID: 34285415 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-021-00245-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are an emerging drug modality that may offer new opportunities to circumvent some of the limitations associated with traditional small-molecule therapeutics. By analogy with the concept of the 'druggable genome', the question arises as to which potential drug targets might PROTAC-mediated protein degradation be most applicable. Here, we present a systematic approach to the assessment of the PROTAC tractability (PROTACtability) of protein targets using a series of criteria based on data and information from a diverse range of relevant publicly available resources. Our approach could support decision-making on whether or not a particular target may be amenable to modulation using a PROTAC. Using our approach, we identified 1,067 proteins of the human proteome that have not yet been described in the literature as PROTAC targets that offer potential opportunities for future PROTAC-based efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Schneider
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Chris J Radoux
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Exscientia, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrew Hercules
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - David Ochoa
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Ian Dunham
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Lykourgos-Panagiotis Zalmas
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Gerhard Hessler
- Integrated Drug Discovery, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sven Ruf
- Integrated Drug Discovery, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Michael M Hann
- GlaxoSmithKline, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, UK
| | - Pam J Thomas
- GlaxoSmithKline, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, UK
| | | | | | - Kris Brown
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA, USA
- Agenus, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Andrew R Leach
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK.
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK.
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25
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Serrano Nájera G, Narganes Carlón D, Crowther DJ. TrendyGenes, a computational pipeline for the detection of literature trends in academia and drug discovery. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15747. [PMID: 34344904 PMCID: PMC8333311 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94897-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Target identification and prioritisation are prominent first steps in modern drug discovery. Traditionally, individual scientists have used their expertise to manually interpret scientific literature and prioritise opportunities. However, increasing publication rates and the wider routine coverage of human genes by omic-scale research make it difficult to maintain meaningful overviews from which to identify promising new trends. Here we propose an automated yet flexible pipeline that identifies trends in the scientific corpus which align with the specific interests of a researcher and facilitate an initial prioritisation of opportunities. Using a procedure based on co-citation networks and machine learning, genes and diseases are first parsed from PubMed articles using a novel named entity recognition system together with publication date and supporting information. Then recurrent neural networks are trained to predict the publication dynamics of all human genes. For a user-defined therapeutic focus, genes generating more publications or citations are identified as high-interest targets. We also used topic detection routines to help understand why a gene is trendy and implement a system to propose the most prominent review articles for a potential target. This TrendyGenes pipeline detects emerging targets and pathways and provides a new way to explore the literature for individual researchers, pharmaceutical companies and funding agencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Serrano Nájera
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - David Narganes Carlón
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
- Division of Population Health and Genomics, Ninewells Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
- Exscientia Ltd, Dundee One, River Court, 5 West Victoria Dock Road, Dundee, DD1 3JT, UK
| | - Daniel J Crowther
- Exscientia Ltd, Dundee One, River Court, 5 West Victoria Dock Road, Dundee, DD1 3JT, UK.
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26
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Munoz-Muriedas J. Large scale meta-analysis of preclinical toxicity data for target characterisation and hypotheses generation. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252533. [PMID: 34101743 PMCID: PMC8186779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent technological advances in the field of big data have increased our capabilities to query large databases and combine information from different domains and disciplines. In the area of preclinical studies, initiatives like SEND (Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data) will also contribute to collect and present nonclinical data in a consistent manner and increase analytical possibilities. With facilitated access to preclinical data and improvements in analytical algorithms there will surely be an expectation for organisations to ensure all the historical data available to them is leveraged to build new hypotheses. These kinds of analyses may soon become as important as the animal studies themselves, in addition to being critical components to achieve objectives aligned with 3Rs. This article proposes the application of meta-analyses at large scale in corporate databases as a tool to exploit data from both preclinical studies and in vitro pharmacological activity assays to identify associations between targets and tissues that can be used as seeds for the development of causal hypotheses to characterise of targets. A total of 833 in-house preclinical toxicity studies relating to 416 compounds reported to be active (pXC50 ≥ 5.5) against a panel of 96 selected targets of interest for potential off-target non desired effects were meta-analysed, aggregating the data in tissue-target pairs. The primary outcome was the odds ratio (OR) of the number of animals with observed events (any morphology, any severity) in treated and control groups in the tissue analysed. This led to a total of 2139 meta-analyses producing a total of 364 statistically significant associations (random effects model), 121 after adjusting by multiple comparison bias. The results show the utility of the proposed approach to leverage historical corporate data and may offer a vehicle for researchers to share, aggregate and analyse their preclinical toxicological data in precompetitive environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Munoz-Muriedas
- Computational Toxicology, Data and Computational Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, London, United Kingdom
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27
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Ochoa D, Hercules A, Carmona M, Suveges D, Gonzalez-Uriarte A, Malangone C, Miranda A, Fumis L, Carvalho-Silva D, Spitzer M, Baker J, Ferrer J, Raies A, Razuvayevskaya O, Faulconbridge A, Petsalaki E, Mutowo P, Machlitt-Northen S, Peat G, McAuley E, Ong CK, Mountjoy E, Ghoussaini M, Pierleoni A, Papa E, Pignatelli M, Koscielny G, Karim M, Schwartzentruber J, Hulcoop DG, Dunham I, McDonagh EM. Open Targets Platform: supporting systematic drug-target identification and prioritisation. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:D1302-D1310. [PMID: 33196847 PMCID: PMC7779013 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 201] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Open Targets Platform (https://www.targetvalidation.org/) provides users with a queryable knowledgebase and user interface to aid systematic target identification and prioritisation for drug discovery based upon underlying evidence. It is publicly available and the underlying code is open source. Since our last update two years ago, we have had 10 releases to maintain and continuously improve evidence for target-disease relationships from 20 different data sources. In addition, we have integrated new evidence from key datasets, including prioritised targets identified from genome-wide CRISPR knockout screens in 300 cancer models (Project Score), and GWAS/UK BioBank statistical genetic analysis evidence from the Open Targets Genetics Portal. We have evolved our evidence scoring framework to improve target identification. To aid the prioritisation of targets and inform on the potential impact of modulating a given target, we have added evaluation of post-marketing adverse drug reactions and new curated information on target tractability and safety. We have also developed the user interface and backend technologies to improve performance and usability. In this article, we describe the latest enhancements to the Platform, to address the fundamental challenge that developing effective and safe drugs is difficult and expensive.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Ochoa
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Andrew Hercules
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Miguel Carmona
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Daniel Suveges
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Asier Gonzalez-Uriarte
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Cinzia Malangone
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Alfredo Miranda
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Luca Fumis
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Denise Carvalho-Silva
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Michaela Spitzer
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Jarrod Baker
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Javier Ferrer
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Arwa Raies
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Olesya Razuvayevskaya
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Adam Faulconbridge
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Eirini Petsalaki
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Prudence Mutowo
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,GlaxoSmithKline plc, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Sandra Machlitt-Northen
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,GlaxoSmithKline plc, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Gareth Peat
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Elaine McAuley
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Chuang Kee Ong
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Edward Mountjoy
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Maya Ghoussaini
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Andrea Pierleoni
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Eliseo Papa
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Systems Biology, Biogen, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Miguel Pignatelli
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Gautier Koscielny
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,GlaxoSmithKline plc, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Mohd Karim
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Jeremy Schwartzentruber
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - David G Hulcoop
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,GlaxoSmithKline plc, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Ian Dunham
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Ellen M McDonagh
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
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28
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Kim H, Kim E, Lee I, Bae B, Park M, Nam H. Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery: A Comprehensive Review of Data-driven and Machine Learning Approaches. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2021; 25:895-930. [PMID: 33437151 PMCID: PMC7790479 DOI: 10.1007/s12257-020-0049-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
As expenditure on drug development increases exponentially, the overall drug discovery process requires a sustainable revolution. Since artificial intelligence (AI) is leading the fourth industrial revolution, AI can be considered as a viable solution for unstable drug research and development. Generally, AI is applied to fields with sufficient data such as computer vision and natural language processing, but there are many efforts to revolutionize the existing drug discovery process by applying AI. This review provides a comprehensive, organized summary of the recent research trends in AI-guided drug discovery process including target identification, hit identification, ADMET prediction, lead optimization, and drug repositioning. The main data sources in each field are also summarized in this review. In addition, an in-depth analysis of the remaining challenges and limitations will be provided, and proposals for promising future directions in each of the aforementioned areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunho Kim
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005 Korea
| | - Eunyoung Kim
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005 Korea
| | - Ingoo Lee
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005 Korea
| | - Bongsung Bae
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005 Korea
| | - Minsu Park
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005 Korea
| | - Hojung Nam
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005 Korea
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29
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30
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Burley SK. Impact of structural biologists and the Protein Data Bank on small-molecule drug discovery and development. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100559. [PMID: 33744282 PMCID: PMC8059052 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is an international core data resource central to fundamental biology, biomedicine, bioenergy, and biotechnology/bioengineering. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the PDB houses >175,000 experimentally determined atomic structures of proteins, nucleic acids, and their complexes with one another and small molecules and drugs. The importance of three-dimensional (3D) biostructure information for research and education obtains from the intimate link between molecular form and function evident throughout biology. Among the most prolific consumers of PDB data are biomedical researchers, who rely on the open access resource as the authoritative source of well-validated, expertly curated biostructures. This review recounts how the PDB grew from just seven protein structures to contain more than 49,000 structures of human proteins that have proven critical for understanding their roles in human health and disease. It then describes how these structures are used in academe and industry to validate drug targets, assess target druggability, characterize how tool compounds and other small-molecules bind to drug targets, guide medicinal chemistry optimization of binding affinity and selectivity, and overcome challenges during preclinical drug development. Three case studies drawn from oncology exemplify how structural biologists and open access to PDB structures impacted recent regulatory approvals of antineoplastic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K Burley
- Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA; Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
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31
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Zhou Y, Takacs GP, Lamba JK, Vulpe C, Cogle CR. Functional Dependency Analysis Identifies Potential Druggable Targets in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12123710. [PMID: 33321907 PMCID: PMC7764352 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12123710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Refractory disease is a major challenge in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Whereas the armamentarium has expanded in the past few years for treating AML, long-term survival outcomes have yet to be proven. To further expand the arsenal for treating AML, we searched for druggable gene targets in AML by analyzing screening data from a lentiviral-based genome-wide pooled CRISPR-Cas9 library and gene knockout (KO) dependency scores in 15 AML cell lines (HEL, MV411, OCIAML2, THP1, NOMO1, EOL1, KASUMI1, NB4, OCIAML3, MOLM13, TF1, U937, F36P, AML193, P31FUJ). Ninety-four gene KOs met the criteria of (A) specifically essential to AML cell survival, (B) non-essential in non-AML cells, and (C) druggable according to three-dimensional (3D) modeling or ligand-based druggability scoring. Forty-four of 94 gene-KOs (47%) had an already-approved drug match and comprised a drug development list termed "deKO." Fifty of 94 gene-KOs (53%) had no drug in development and comprised a drug discovery list termed "disKO." STRING analysis and gene ontology categorization of the disKO targets preferentially cluster in the metabolic processes of UMP biosynthesis, IMP biosynthesis, dihydrofolate metabolism, pyrimidine nucleobase biosynthesis, vitellogenesis, and regulation of T cell differentiation and hematopoiesis. Results from this study serve as a testable compendium of AML drug targets that, after validation, may be translated into new therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujia Zhou
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0278, USA; (Y.Z.); (G.P.T.)
| | - Gregory P. Takacs
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0278, USA; (Y.Z.); (G.P.T.)
| | - Jatinder K. Lamba
- Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0278, USA;
| | - Christopher Vulpe
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0278, USA;
| | - Christopher R. Cogle
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0278, USA; (Y.Z.); (G.P.T.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(352)-273-7493; Fax: +1-(352)-273-5006
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Chai AWY, Yee PS, Price S, Yee SM, Lee HM, Tiong VKH, Gonçalves E, Behan FM, Bateson J, Gilbert J, Tan AC, McDermott U, Garnett MJ, Cheong SC. Genome-wide CRISPR screens of oral squamous cell carcinoma reveal fitness genes in the Hippo pathway. eLife 2020; 9:e57761. [PMID: 32990596 PMCID: PMC7591259 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
New therapeutic targets for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are urgently needed. We conducted genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens in 21 OSCC cell lines, primarily derived from Asians, to identify genetic vulnerabilities that can be explored as therapeutic targets. We identify known and novel fitness genes and demonstrate that many previously identified OSCC-related cancer genes are non-essential and could have limited therapeutic value, while other fitness genes warrant further investigation for their potential as therapeutic targets. We validate a distinctive dependency on YAP1 and WWTR1 of the Hippo pathway, where the lost-of-fitness effect of one paralog can be compensated only in a subset of lines. We also discover that OSCCs with WWTR1 dependency signature are significantly associated with biomarkers of favorable response toward immunotherapy. In summary, we have delineated the genetic vulnerabilities of OSCC, enabling the prioritization of therapeutic targets for further exploration, including the targeting of YAP1 and WWTR1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Wai Yeeng Chai
- Head and Neck Cancer Research Team, Cancer Research Malaysia, Head and Neck Cancer Research TeamSubang Jaya, SelangorMalaysia
| | - Pei San Yee
- Head and Neck Cancer Research Team, Cancer Research Malaysia, Head and Neck Cancer Research TeamSubang Jaya, SelangorMalaysia
| | - Stacey Price
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome CampusCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Shi Mun Yee
- Head and Neck Cancer Research Team, Cancer Research Malaysia, Head and Neck Cancer Research TeamSubang Jaya, SelangorMalaysia
| | - Hui Mei Lee
- Head and Neck Cancer Research Team, Cancer Research Malaysia, Head and Neck Cancer Research TeamSubang Jaya, SelangorMalaysia
| | - Vivian KH Tiong
- Head and Neck Cancer Research Team, Cancer Research Malaysia, Head and Neck Cancer Research TeamSubang Jaya, SelangorMalaysia
| | - Emanuel Gonçalves
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome CampusCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Fiona M Behan
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome CampusCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Jessica Bateson
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome CampusCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - James Gilbert
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome CampusCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Aik Choon Tan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer CenterTampaUnited States
| | - Ultan McDermott
- Oncology R&D AstraZeneca, CRUK Cambridge InstituteCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Mathew J Garnett
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome CampusCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Sok Ching Cheong
- Head and Neck Cancer Research Team, Cancer Research Malaysia, Head and Neck Cancer Research TeamSubang Jaya, SelangorMalaysia
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of MalayaKuala LumpurMalaysia
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33
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Spreafico R, Soriaga LB, Grosse J, Virgin HW, Telenti A. Advances in Genomics for Drug Development. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E942. [PMID: 32824125 PMCID: PMC7465049 DOI: 10.3390/genes11080942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug development (target identification, advancing drug leads to candidates for preclinical and clinical studies) can be facilitated by genetic and genomic knowledge. Here, we review the contribution of population genomics to target identification, the value of bulk and single cell gene expression analysis for understanding the biological relevance of a drug target, and genome-wide CRISPR editing for the prioritization of drug targets. In genomics, we discuss the different scope of genome-wide association studies using genotyping arrays, versus exome and whole genome sequencing. In transcriptomics, we discuss the information from drug perturbation and the selection of biomarkers. For CRISPR screens, we discuss target discovery, mechanism of action and the concept of gene to drug mapping. Harnessing genetic support increases the probability of drug developability and approval.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Amalio Telenti
- Vir Biotechnology, Inc., San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (R.S.); (L.B.S.); (J.G.); (H.W.V.)
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34
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Chai AWY, Lim KP, Cheong SC. Translational genomics and recent advances in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 61:71-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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35
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Westbrook JD, Soskind R, Hudson BP, Burley SK. Impact of the Protein Data Bank on antineoplastic approvals. Drug Discov Today 2020; 25:837-850. [PMID: 32068073 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2020.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Open access to 3D structure information from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) facilitated discovery and development of >90% of the 79 new antineoplastic agents (54 small molecules, 25 biologics) with known molecular targets approved by the FDA 2010-2018. Analyses of PDB holdings, the scientific literature and related documents for each drug-target combination revealed that the impact of public-domain 3D structure data was broad and substantial, ranging from understanding target biology (∼95% of all targets) to identifying a given target as probably druggable (∼95% of all targets) to structure-guided lead optimization (>70% of all small-molecule drugs). In addition to aggregate impact assessments, illustrative case studies are presented for three protein kinase inhibitors, an allosteric enzyme inhibitor and seven advanced-stage melanoma therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Westbrook
- Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Rose Soskind
- Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Brian P Hudson
- Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Stephen K Burley
- Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA; Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank, San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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36
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Fang H, Chen L, Knight JC. From genome-wide association studies to rational drug target prioritisation in inflammatory arthritis. THE LANCET. RHEUMATOLOGY 2020; 2:e50-e62. [PMID: 38258277 DOI: 10.1016/s2665-9913(19)30134-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Early identification of genetically validated drug targets can increase the chances of successful late-stage drug development. 81 high-quality genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in diseases related to inflammatory arthritis have been curated into the GWAS catalogue; however, translation of genetic findings from GWAS into rational drug target discovery has been poor. No human genetic findings have completely driven drug development for inflammatory arthritis; however, genetic associations have partly driven the development of abatacept (CTLA-4-Ig) in rheumatoid arthritis and secukinumab (anti-IL-23R) in ankylosing spondylitis. Roadblocks to progress exist, including little knowledge of the genetic architecture and regulatory mechanisms underlying associations, and the need to identify gene regulatory networks and assess target tractability. New opportunities are arising that could maximise the informativeness of GWAS for drug target validation. Genetic variants can be linked to core genes by using functional genomics and then to peripheral genes interconnected to core genes using network information. Moreover, identification of crosstalk between biological pathways might highlight key points for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai Fang
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Liye Chen
- Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Julian C Knight
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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37
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Cousins RPC. Medicines discovery for auditory disorders: Challenges for industry. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 146:3652. [PMID: 31795652 DOI: 10.1121/1.5132706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Currently, no approved medicines are available for the prevention or treatment of hearing loss. Pharmaceutical industry productivity across all therapeutic indications has historically been disappointing, with a 90% chance of failure in delivering a marketed drug after entering clinical evaluation. To address these failings, initiatives have been applied in the three cornerstones of medicine discovery: target selection, clinical candidate selection, and clinical studies. These changes aimed to enable data-informed decisions on the translation of preclinical observations into a safe, clinically effective medicine by ensuring the best biological target is selected, the most appropriate chemical entity is advanced, and that the clinical studies enroll the correct patients. The specific underlying pathologies need to be known to allow appropriate patient selection, so improved diagnostics are required, as are methodologies for measuring in the inner ear target engagement, drug delivery and pharmacokinetics. The different therapeutic strategies of protecting hearing or preventing hearing loss versus restoring hearing are reviewed along with potential treatments for tinnitus. Examples of current investigational drugs are discussed to highlight key challenges in drug discovery and the learnings being applied to improve the probability of success of launching a marketed medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick P C Cousins
- University College London Ear Institute, University College London, London, WC1X 8EE, United Kingdom
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38
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Abstract
Functional genomics approaches can overcome limitations-such as the lack of identification of robust targets and poor clinical efficacy-that hamper cancer drug development. Here we performed genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screens in 324 human cancer cell lines from 30 cancer types and developed a data-driven framework to prioritize candidates for cancer therapeutics. We integrated cell fitness effects with genomic biomarkers and target tractability for drug development to systematically prioritize new targets in defined tissues and genotypes. We verified one of our most promising dependencies, the Werner syndrome ATP-dependent helicase, as a synthetic lethal target in tumours from multiple cancer types with microsatellite instability. Our analysis provides a resource of cancer dependencies, generates a framework to prioritize cancer drug targets and suggests specific new targets. The principles described in this study can inform the initial stages of drug development by contributing to a new, diverse and more effective portfolio of cancer drug targets.
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39
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Behan FM, Iorio F, Picco G, Gonçalves E, Beaver CM, Migliardi G, Santos R, Rao Y, Sassi F, Pinnelli M, Ansari R, Harper S, Jackson DA, McRae R, Pooley R, Wilkinson P, van der Meer D, Dow D, Buser-Doepner C, Bertotti A, Trusolino L, Stronach EA, Saez-Rodriguez J, Yusa K, Garnett MJ. Prioritization of cancer therapeutic targets using CRISPR-Cas9 screens. Nature 2019; 568:511-516. [PMID: 30971826 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1103-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 698] [Impact Index Per Article: 139.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Functional genomics approaches can overcome limitations-such as the lack of identification of robust targets and poor clinical efficacy-that hamper cancer drug development. Here we performed genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screens in 324 human cancer cell lines from 30 cancer types and developed a data-driven framework to prioritize candidates for cancer therapeutics. We integrated cell fitness effects with genomic biomarkers and target tractability for drug development to systematically prioritize new targets in defined tissues and genotypes. We verified one of our most promising dependencies, the Werner syndrome ATP-dependent helicase, as a synthetic lethal target in tumours from multiple cancer types with microsatellite instability. Our analysis provides a resource of cancer dependencies, generates a framework to prioritize cancer drug targets and suggests specific new targets. The principles described in this study can inform the initial stages of drug development by contributing to a new, diverse and more effective portfolio of cancer drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona M Behan
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.,Open Targets, Cambridge, UK
| | - Francesco Iorio
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.,Open Targets, Cambridge, UK.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | - Giorgia Migliardi
- Candiolo Cancer Institute-FPO, IRCCS, Turin, Italy.,Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Rita Santos
- GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Yanhua Rao
- GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Collegeville, PA, USA
| | | | - Marika Pinnelli
- Candiolo Cancer Institute-FPO, IRCCS, Turin, Italy.,Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - David Dow
- Open Targets, Cambridge, UK.,GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Carolyn Buser-Doepner
- Open Targets, Cambridge, UK.,GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Collegeville, PA, USA
| | - Andrea Bertotti
- Candiolo Cancer Institute-FPO, IRCCS, Turin, Italy.,Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Livio Trusolino
- Candiolo Cancer Institute-FPO, IRCCS, Turin, Italy.,Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Euan A Stronach
- Open Targets, Cambridge, UK.,GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Julio Saez-Rodriguez
- Open Targets, Cambridge, UK.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK.,Faculty of Medicine, Joint Research Centre for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Heidelberg University, Faculty of Medicine, Bioquant, Heidelberg, Germany.,Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kosuke Yusa
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK. .,Open Targets, Cambridge, UK. .,Stem Cell Genetics, Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Mathew J Garnett
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK. .,Open Targets, Cambridge, UK.
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40
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Chen YA, Yogo E, Kurihara N, Ohno T, Higuchi C, Rokushima M, Mizuguchi K. Assessing drug target suitability using TargetMine. F1000Res 2019; 8:233. [PMID: 30984386 PMCID: PMC6439796 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.18214.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In selecting drug target candidates for pharmaceutical research, the linkage to disease and the tractability of the target are two important factors that can ultimately determine the drug efficacy. Several existing resources can provide gene-disease associations, but determining whether such a list of genes are attractive drug targets often requires further information gathering and analysis. In addition, few resources provide the information required to evaluate the tractability of a target. To address these issues, we have updated TargetMine, a data warehouse for assisting target prioritization, by integrating new data sources for gene-disease associations and enhancing functionalities for target assessment. As a data mining platform that integrates a variety of data sources, including protein structures and chemical compounds, TargetMine now offers a powerful and flexible interface for constructing queries to check genetic evidence, tractability and other relevant features for the candidate genes. We demonstrate these features by using several specific examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-An Chen
- National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki, Osaka, 5670085, Japan
| | - Erika Yogo
- Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, 5610825, Japan
| | - Naoko Kurihara
- Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, 5610825, Japan
| | - Tomoshige Ohno
- Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, 5610825, Japan
| | - Chihiro Higuchi
- National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki, Osaka, 5670085, Japan
| | - Masatomo Rokushima
- Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, 5610825, Japan
| | - Kenji Mizuguchi
- National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki, Osaka, 5670085, Japan
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