There’s a huge inventory of potential targets that we haven’t been able to get at with conventional drugs,” says Lokey. ![]() “The retinoblastoma protein is just the tip of the iceberg. Scott Lokey, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz and director of the UCSC Chemical Screening Center, discusses how UCSC researchers are taking on "undruggable" targets. ![]() Its function is disrupted in most human cancers, allowing cancer cells to proliferate. One such target is the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein, which normally puts the brakes on cell division. If successful, his work could lead to a whole new class of drugs to fight cancer and other diseases. Lokey, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and director of the Chemical Screening Center at UC Santa Cruz, is working with compounds that he thinks could overcome the obstacles presented by “undruggable” targets. ![]() In fact, he seems to thrive on scientific challenges, like taking on what the pharmaceutical industry calls “undruggable targets.” The term applies to molecules known to play a key role in disease but not susceptible to control by the kinds of small molecules that make good drugs. UC Santa Cruz may not have a medical school, but its scientists are tackling some of the most challenging problems in cancer genomics, drug discovery, and basic cancer biology Cancer in the crosshairs Cancer in the crosshairs
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