Russian and foreign molecular biologists have proposed a new approach to the study of G-protein-coupled receptors, an important class of signal receptors. As the Center for Scientific Communication at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) told TASS, the thermal shift assay (TSA) makes it easier and cheaper to analyze the interaction of these receptors with biologically active molecules compared to traditional technologies.
The study was conducted with the participation of MIPT specialists and their foreign colleagues. Scientists hope that their development will simplify the search for new therapeutic targets and accelerate the creation of effective drugs.
«Our approach can become an affordable alternative to existing methods, outperforming them in terms of the cost of reagents and equipment, the speed of obtaining results, and the simplicity of the experiment,» — explained Dmitry Dashevsky from the Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases at MIPT.
G-protein-coupled receptors are embedded in the membranes of human and animal cells and play a key role in the development of many diseases, including asthma and allergies. However, their study has been a difficult task due to the dependence of the protein structure on the cell membrane and the difficulties in isolating samples for research.
The new thermal shift assay method can accelerate drug development, as it allows faster and cheaper studies of the interaction of receptors with various compounds. This discovery is especially important for the pharmaceutical industry, since it is on G-protein-coupled receptors that about 40% of modern drugs act on.
Previously, MIPT researchers synthesized a molecule capable of fighting antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The antibiotic created by scientists can successfully destroy the infection, so it is being considered as the basis for a new medicine.
