Regenerative MedicineLiquid-Phase Droplets Inside Cells May Unlock Drugs for 'Undruggable' Proteins
Cells maintain protein quality control through a process called proteostasis — the careful balance of making, folding, and destroying proteins. When this system fails, diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and cancer can emerge. New research from Tsinghua University highlights how liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) — the spontaneous clustering of molecules into droplet-like compartments inside cells — plays a central role in controlling protein degradation. These droplets, called biomolecular condensates, concentrate the cellular machinery needed to break down damaged or harmful proteins. Crucially, they may offer a way to destroy so-called 'undruggable' proteins that conventional medicines cannot target. The authors propose harnessing these condensates as a precision medicine platform to restore healthy protein balance across a wide range of major diseases, representing a potentially transformative shift in drug development strategy.
