Boris Gladkikh, a researcher at Volgograd Technical University, points out that work is underway to develop compounds capable of inhibiting the defense systems in cancer cells, making them unable to resist conventional treatments.
He says: "We are working on developing small molecules – inhibitors – that target a specific region of the BRCA1 protein, known as the phosphopeptide subunit. This subunit acts as a 'key' that the repair protein uses to recognize damage in the genetic code of a cancer cell. If this 'key' is disabled, the cell loses its ability to effectively repair treatment-induced DNA damage."
According to him, most modern treatments (radiation or chemotherapy) eliminate cancer by damaging its DNA. However, many tumors develop resistance and actively use the BRCA1 protein to regenerate themselves. The new method relies on a "combined death" strategy.
He says: "Our method is highly selective. We do not completely disable the protein, but rather selectively interfere with its binding to its partner proteins, which allows us to predict lower toxicity to healthy tissues compared to aggressive treatments."
The project involves computer modeling and optimization of molecular structures (bond design). Scientists are using computational chemistry techniques to assess the binding strength of new compounds to the target protein, which will enable them to develop more effective local drugs for sensitizing cells.
