Protein Homeostasis

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The cellular environment is a well-oiled machine that is constantly running. Proteins that adopt an incorrect structure are usually inactive and are said to be misfolded. These misfolded proteins will often aggregate and trigger a response wherein they are degraded by the cell through the Proteostasis or ubiquitin proteasome system network. Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS) is a key regulatory system that degrades proteins that are miss-folded or miss-located within the cell. The malfunction of the UPS can result in the accumulation and aggregation of misfolded proteins. This can spell disaster for the cell, leading in cell death, aging, and neurodegenerative disease.

VLI Research is focused on identifying key targets in UPS, developing HTS strategies and by employing Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) and Molecular Glues (MGs) strategies for drug discovery. By capitalizing on the specificity and potency of small molecule drugs, VLI Research will induce degradation of target proteins that are implicated in aging, cancer, and other diseases where targeted protein degradation presents an opportunity for therapeutic strategy.