DrugMap: A quantitative pan-cancer analysis of cysteine ligandability. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38653237/)

These scientists wanted to understand how a certain type of medicine, called covalent inhibitors, could be used to treat cancer. They created a special map, called DrugMap, that showed how effective these medicines were in different types of cancer cells. They discovered that the effectiveness of these medicines varied depending on the specific characteristics of the cancer cells, such as how they were structured and any genetic mutations they had.

Using this information, the scientists were able to identify specific targets in two important proteins involved in cancer, called NF-kappaB1 and SOX10. They then created new medicines that could block the activity of these proteins. They found that one of the medicines stopped the protein from binding to DNA, while the other medicine disrupted the signaling process in melanoma cells.

Overall, this study showed that not all cancer cells are the same, and by understanding their unique characteristics, scientists can develop more effective treatments to target specific proteins that drive cancer growth.

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