PhD Studentship: Development and Application of Enabling Methods for Drug Discovery

Transient protein-protein interactions (PPIs) control all cellular processes relevant to health and disease. Thus, a major problem in life-sciences research is to understand and manipulate PPIs with molecular and temporal resolution. Addressing this challenge will illuminate our understanding of disease development e.g. cell signalling in cancer and aggregation in amyloid disease and provide starting points for drug-discovery. However, methods to interrogate and manipulate PPIs are not well established. Moreover, intrinsically disordered regions – segments of protein with no fixed structure – that undergo disorder-to-order transitions upon formation of the PPI, compound this challenge.

A number of approaches to modulation of PPIs including competitive inhibition, stabilization and allosteric inhibition can be envisioned. Informed by structural and mechanistic understanding of the interactions between IDRs and their client proteins[1], our group has developed a number of enabling methods that include computational methods[2] constrained peptides[1], secondary structure mimetics[3], and covalent inhibitors[4]. In tandem we are applying novel fragment discovery methods[5] and developing tag-transfer cross-linking[6] to map ligand binding sites. In this PhD project the student will extend and apply these methods to focused PPI modulator projects. Current targets include: BH3/BCl-2 family,[1] HIF-1α/p300,[7] interactions of 14-3-3 proteins,[8] (all oncology), and GKAP/SHANK-PDZ (synaptic function).[3] A range of methods appropriate to the target will be employed including: computational prediction, peptide chemistry, novel fragment-screening technologies, development of new covalent warheads, biophysics and structural-molecular biology. This will allow the design, synthesis and testing of candidate PPI modulators to discover selective and cell-permeable modulator of the target PPI and ultimately chemical probes.[9]

Applications will be considered on an ongoing basis until a suitable candidate has accepted an offer. Applicants should contact Prof Andy Wilson ([email protected] ) for informal inquiries, and before applying (with a CV and cover letter summarizing your research interests and previous experience).

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