Engineering WD40 Domain-Mediated Protein-Protein Interactions in DNA Repair for Cancer Therapeutics

Current cancer therapies rely on toxic chemotherapeutic agents that lack the potency and selectivity of protein-based therapy. Consequently, new technologies to systematically target cancer signaling pathways at the protein level are urgently needed. Dr. Zhang has developed a platform that consistently and successfully produces quick and cost-effective protein-based therapies that are both highly-binding and specific to the disease target. To model protein structures, ProteinQure utilizes quantum computing, an emerging tool that surpasses the capabilities of traditional computers, and can process information at unprecedent speeds. In this project, we aim to seamlessly integrate these two technologies into a pipeline that can easily, rapidly and cost-effectively generate protein drugs capable of modulating protein-protein interactions that modern drugs have been unable to target. The outcomes of this project include a new standardized approach to drug discovery, potential pre-clinical protein inhibitors, and increased knowledge of cellular mechanisms important for cancer therapies, which should highly benefit both parties and the public.

Faculty Supervisor:

Wei Zhang

Student:

María Rosales Gerpe

Partner:

ProteinQure

Discipline:

Biochemistry / Molecular biology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

University of Guelph