Degrading modified proteins could treat Alzheimer’s, other ‘undruggable’ diseases

Certain diseases, including Alzheimer’s, are currently considered ‘undruggable’ because traditional small molecule drugs can’t interfere with the proteins responsible for the illnesses. But a new technique that specifically targets and breaks apart certain proteins — rather than just interfering with them — may offer a pathway toward treatment. Researchers have now designed a compound that targets and breaks down a post-translationally modified protein closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease.