Scientists Discover Previously Hidden Binding Sites for Medications

Scientists discovered that proteins change shape at body temperature, revealing new drug binding sites. This finding, using cryo-electron microscopy, could revolutionize drug development by providing more accurate protein structures for medication design.

Some proteins change their shape in response to varying temperatures, unveiling previously hidden binding sites for drugs.

The findings, published in Nature, could revolutionize wide swathes of biology by fundamentally changing how protein structure is studied and leveraged for drug design. Van Andel Institute’s Juan Du, Ph.D. and Wei Lü, Ph.D led the research.

Proteins generally are investigated at low temperatures to ensure their stability. However, the new study demonstrates that certain proteins are highly sensitive to temperature and change their shape when viewed at body temperature.