Sailan Shui is a PhD assistant in the Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering at the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). She likes to play with proteins, activating and deactivating them as she pleases, as if they are light switches that can be turned on and off. However, her method is not to use electronic devices, but to rely on proteins to trigger the process. Shui's research has just been published in Nature Communications.

To develop her method, Shui and her colleagues began to perform computational modeling of proteins that do not exist in nature. Then she assembled the proteins into OFF and ON switches. "The first step is to connect the two synthetic proteins together and make sure that they can work together. One protein is like cement, binding the whole structure together, and the other is the drug receptor. We must also find two Kind of proteins that form strong, stable bonds so that they stay attached," said Water. 

Once the protein pair is formed, the next step is to find a third type of molecule, or be able to bind to the existing structure and activate it, or break it down and inactivate it. Shui designed the system to respond to the clinically approved drug Venetoclax. This drug is commonly used to treat cancer, but scientists have discovered new uses for it. "I basically turned Venetoclax into a protein switch," Shui said. 

When drugs come into contact with proteins, it has the ability to activate them or separate them, thereby inactivating them. "In our method, Venetoclax molecules are used as light switches. They are those that activate or inactivate proteins," she said. This means that she can control when the protein is activated and how long. 

It is hoped that one day these protein switches can be used as an intermediary for cells in the human body. "For example, we can place protein switches in specific cells so that they can be activated when we need them," Shui said. "In this way, when we are ready, we can apply stimuli and observe cell responses." Bruno Correia, head of the EPFL laboratory where Shui is conducting research, added: "This type of protein circuit, where the same compound has two distinct The opposite function may be a promising method for monitoring the safety and effectiveness of modified cells."

 -This press release is provided by the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

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