Detailed structure of cell's garbage disposal unit reveals surprise in how it is targeted by cancer drugs
Thursday, August 4, 2016 - 14:01
in Health & Medicine
Cancer cells are more dependent on a cellular garbage disposal unit—the proteasome—than healthy cells, and cancer therapies take advantage of this dependency. Scientists at EMBL and MPI determined the proteasome's 3D structure in unprecedented detail and have deciphered the exact mechanism by which inhibitor drugs block the proteasome. Their surprising results, published in Science, will pave the way to develop more effective treatments.