A new approach to developing highly-potent drugs has been uncovered by researchers, which could overcome the shortcomings of low drug efficacy and multi-drug resistance in treating cancer and other diseases.
The study by University of Kentucky researchers identified a new mechanism of targeting multi-subunit complexes that are critical to the function of viruses, bacteria or cancer, thus reducing or possibly even eliminating their resistance to targeted drugs.
"Efficacy is the key in drug development," said Peixuan Guo, director of Kentucky's Nanobiotechnology Center, who led the study.
"Inhibiting multisubunit targets works similar to the series-circuit Christmas decorating light chains; one broken bulb turns off the entire lighting system," said Guo.
By targeting RNA or protein subunits that have multiple sites for inactivation, but that are inextricably linked, this method allows for killing or disabling the RNA or protein without requiring the inhibition of multiple pathways that might be used by the organism to remain active and viable (and thus, multiple drugs are not needed, as well).
Using this method, a single subunit targeting to the target RNA or protein subunits that is unique and assenting for the organism, the organism will be disabled or die and thus, no longer able to cause disease.
"One of the vexing problems in the development of drugs is drug resistance," said Tim Tracy, former Dean of the Kentucky College of Pharmacy.
"Dr Guo's study has identified a new mechanism of efficiently inhibiting biological processes that are critical to the function of the disease-causing organism, such that resistance is minimised or eliminated," said Tracy.
The study was published in the journal Nanomedicine.
