PROT-TOWING: Development of an innovative molecular towing technology for the selective inactivation of pathogenic proteins
Project objective:
Dysregulated pathogenic proteins (Proteins of Interest – POIs) are factors responsible for numerous human diseases and represent molecular targets for therapeutic intervention. Traditionally, pathogenic POIs have been inhibited using small-molecule enzyme inhibitors or ion channel blockers, which make up the majority of currently available drugs. Despite the unquestionable success of conventional drugs, this approach has proven effective for only around 10% of pathogenic proteins. The majority of disease-causing POIs (e.g. transcription factors, structural proteins) remain beyond the reach of current therapies.
The aim of the PROT-TOWING project is to develop an innovative technology that enables targeted inactivation of pathogenic proteins within cells, including molecular targets that are currently inaccessible to existing therapeutic approaches. This may, in the future, pave the way for the development of treatment strategies for diseases that are currently incurable.
The project will involve interdisciplinary experiments at the interface of organic chemistry, biophysics, biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology, aimed at developing a highly innovative technology for targeted protein inactivation. As part of the project, advanced research equipment will be purchased, including a biolayer interferometer (BLI) and a low-temperature freezer.
The outcome of the project will be a novel technology enabling selective inactivation of cytosolic proteins – PROT-TOWING.
The target groups of the project include biotechnology, chemical, and pharmaceutical companies, and – in the longer term – patients (in the event that future drugs based on PROT-TOWING technology are developed). The project will also contribute to the development of new research personnel.
The project is carried out in collaboration with a national industrial partner – Captor Therapeutics S.A., and an international academic partner – the research team of prof. Ida van der Klei from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
The project is funded by the European Union.
Principal investigator: prof. dr hab. Łukasz Opaliński
Project value: PLN 3,878,448.40
European funds contribution: PLN 3,878,448.40
Date of publication: 2.07.2025
Added by: M.K.
