The findings, published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, demonstrate a new way to turn a cell’s own protein-recycling machinery into a trigger for drug activation. The approach could eventually help scientists develop cancer treatments that deliver powerful drugs more selectively while reducing harmful effects elsewhere in the body.
At the center of the strategy is the immunoproteasome, a specialized form of the proteasome, the cellular machinery responsible for breaking down proteins. Immunoproteasome activity can be elevated in inflammatory conditions and a variety of cancers.