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Protac-Induced Protein Degradation in Drug Discovery: Breaking the Rules or Just Making New Ones?
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation, using bifunctional small molecules (Protacs) to remove specific proteins from within cells, has emerged as a novel drug discovery strategy with the potential to offer therapeutic interventions not achievable with existing approaches. In this Perspective, the brief history of the field is surveyed from a drug discovery perspective with a focus on the key advances in knowledge which have led to the definition and exemplification of protein degradation concepts and their resulting applications to medicine discovery. The approach has the potential to bring disruptive change to drug discovery; the many potential advantages and outstanding challenges which lie ahead of this technology are discussed.
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“and can have a duration of action that extends beyond clearance and depends on the turnover rate of the protein target rather than residence time 23,24,25 .”
From Targeted protein degradation: expanding the toolbox (2019) · cites this paper as [24]
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“In addition to properly situating the POI and E3 ubiquitin ligase for the formation of a ternary complex, it also affects physicochemical properties including propensity for cellular uptake, stability, and aqueous solubility (38).”
BackgroundInfluentialSmall-molecule PROTACs: Novel Agents for Cancer Therapy
Wan, Y., Yan, C., Gao, H. J., & Liu, T. (2020) · Future Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.4155/fmc-2019-0340 · Cited by 32
Wood, J. M., Satam, N., Almeida, R. G., Cristani, V. S., de Lima, D. P., Dantas-Pereira, L., Salomão, K., Menna‐Barreto, R. F. S., Namboothiri, I. N. N., Bower, J. F., et al. (2020) · Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115565 · Cited by 31
PROTACs technology for targeting non-oncoproteins: Advances and perspectives
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Construction of an IMiD-based azide library as a kit for PROTAC research
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Progress of small molecules for targeted protein degradation: PROTACs and other technologies
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“sufficient to produce desired pharmacological effect (Burslem & Crews, 2020; Churcher, 2018; Donovan et al., 2020).”
BackgroundThe design, synthesis and anti-tumor mechanism study of new androgen receptor degrader
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Riching, K. M., Mahan, S. D., Urh, M., & Daniels, D. L. (2020) · Journal of Visualized Experiments · doi:10.3791/61787 · Cited by 30
Structure‐Based Design of a Macrocyclic PROTAC
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Natural product-based PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs)
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Small-molecule inhibitors targeting apoptosis signal-regulated kinase 1
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Central Nervous System Targeted Protein Degraders
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“Necessary Steps for Targeted Protein Degradation A specific set of events must take place correctly in order to mimic or harness this process, the failure of any one of which will prevent the targeted degradation of the targeted protein (Figur 2) [5]:”
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Tissue distribution and retention drives efficacy of rapidly clearing VHL-based PROTACs
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“Thesepropertiesplacebi-functionalPROTACsbeyondtheLipinski ’ s rule-of-5 (bRo5) space 5 – 8 .”
InfluentialFeng, Y., Hu, X., & Wang, X. (2024) · Biomarker Research · doi:10.1186/s40364-024-00638-1 · Cited by 30
“Therefore, this may result in unforeseen drug toxicity risks [188].”
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“Subse-quently, VHL ubiquitinates the target protein, and ubiquitin tags are recognized by the proteasome, leading to protein degradation [22].”
BackgroundDiscovery and Characterization of RP03707: A Highly Potent and Selective KRAS G12D PROTAC
Ji, X. L., Li, H., Wu, G., Zhang, Q., He, X., Wu, Y., Zong, B., Xu, X., Liang, C., Wang, B., et al. (2025) · Journal of Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c00428 · Cited by 28
Emerging modes-of-action in drug discovery
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Photopharmacology of Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras: A New Frontier for Drug Discovery
Zeng, S., Zhang, H., Shen, Z., & Huang, W. (2021) · Frontiers in Chemistry · doi:10.3389/fchem.2021.639176 · Cited by 26
“…(Burslem et al., 2018), the PROTACs have no capacity for spatiotemporal control, which would dramatically reduce the incidence of offtarget effects (Churcher, 2018), given that most pharmacological protein targets are widely expressed in both healthy and diseased tissues or are overexpressed in…”
BackgroundSelective degradation-inducing probes for studying cereblon (CRBN) biology
Powell, C. E., Du, G., Bushman, J. W., He, Z., Zhang, T., Fischer, E. S., & Gray, N. S. (2021) · RSC Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.1039/d0md00382d · Cited by 29
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Optochemical Control of Protein Degradation
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Riching, K. M., Vasta, J. D., Hughes, S. J., Zoppi, V., Maniaci, C., Testa, A., Urh, M., Ciulli, A., & Daniels, D. L. (2021) · Current Research in Chemical Biology · doi:10.1016/j.crchbi.2021.100009 · Cited by 26
ELIOT : A platform to navigate the E3 pocketome and aid the design of new PROTACs
Palomba, T., Baroni, M., Cross, S., Cruciani, G., & Siragusa, L. (2022) · Chemical Biology & Drug Design · doi:10.1111/cbdd.14123 · Cited by 26
“PROTACs then form a ternary complex with both the substrate protein and the ubiquitin ligase (Churcher, 2018; Gu et al., 2018; Konstantinidou et al., 2019; Schapira & Crews, 2019; Scheepstra et al., 2019; Steinebach et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2019).”
BackgroundAnticancer strategies by upregulating p53 through inhibition of its ubiquitination by MDM2
Anifowose, A., Agbowuro, A. A., Yang, X., & Wang, B. (2020) · Medicinal Chemistry Research · doi:10.1007/s00044-020-02574-9 · Cited by 26
“The PROTAC approach has been successfully used to develop potent degraders for various proteins (Churcher 2017; Crews 2018; Neklesa et al. 2017; Paiva and Crews 2019; Wang and Zhou 2018).”
MethodDesign, synthesis, and biological evaluation of potent FAK-degrading PROTACs
Qin, Q., Wang, R., Fu, Q., Zhang, G., Wu, T., Liu, N., Lv, R., Yin, W., Sun, Y., Sun, Y., et al. (2022) · Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.1080/14756366.2022.2100886 · Cited by 24
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“Due to their multi-domain nature, PROTACs are relatively large and development of agents with physiochemical properties suitable for clinical administration is likely to be challenging [10].”
BackgroundEnzyme-Activated Sugar-Coated Bifunctional Degraders
Zhu, Q., Fischer, G., Cheng, S. V., Payne, N. C., Peter, D., Mody, A. C., Arce-Solano, S., Shen, D., Lin, Z., Mazitschek, R., et al. (2025) · Journal of the American Chemical Society · doi:10.1021/jacs.5c09843 · Cited by 22
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“10|October 2021 of the target protein does not require a molar amount of the drug, it is possible to generate a highly active drug (Churcher, 2018; Crews, 2018).”
BackgroundDas, D., Wang, J., & Hong, J. (2022) · Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.2174/1568026622666220801101706 · Cited by 23
Recent Advances in Optically Controlled PROTAC
Ouyang, M., Feng, Y. N., Chen, H., Liu, Y., Tan, C., & Tan, Y. C. (2023) · Bioengineering · doi:10.3390/bioengineering10121368 · Cited by 25
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Bifunctional Molecules beyond PROTACs
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“Although at least 15 PROTACs have been approved in the clinic by the end of 2021 [12], there are still considerable challenges that PROTACs face.”
BackgroundInfluentialInduced degradation of protein kinases by bifunctional small molecules: a next-generation strategy
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“6 Furthermore, similar techniques, such as Lysosome-targeting chimeras (LYTACs) and antibody-based PROTACs (AbTACs), 7 springs up recently for targeting out membrane proteins.”
Exploiting E3 ligases for lung cancer therapy: The promise of DCAF-PROTACs
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“In comparison, small molecules can access a wide range of organs and sites of action and be produced with relatively low cost of goods via a well understood development path (Churcher 2018).”
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BackgroundExploring the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) through PROTAC Technology
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“61 Owing to the unique catalytic mode of PROTACs, a low concentration of PROTACs is sufficient to trigger rapid degradation of pathogenic proteins.”
BackgroundInfluentialBET proteins: Investigating BRDT as a potential target for male contraception
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Treatment of Prostate Cancers and Kennedy’s Disease by PROTAC-Androgen Receptor Degradation
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Targeted Protein Degradation as a Promising Tool for Epigenetic Upregulation of Fetal Hemoglobin
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“Although PROTACs have relatively high molecular weights, they can sustain adequate intracellular levels via recycling, which allows them to effectively trigger protein degradation through catalytic processes [95].”
PROTACs: Promising Approaches for Epigenetic Strategies to Overcome Drug Resistance
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Precise Control of Self‐assembly in vivo Based on Polymer‐Peptide Conjugates†
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Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of Wee1 kinase degraders
Zhu, S., Liu, J., Xiao, D., Wang, P., Ma, J., Hu, X., Fu, J., Zhou, Y., Li, J. X., & Lu, W. P. (2022) · European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114786 · Cited by 15
Yan, Z., Lyu, X., Lin, D., Wu, G., Gong, Y., Ren, X., Xiao, J., Lou, J., Huang, H., Chen, Y., et al. (2023) · European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115381 · Cited by 14
Ma, L., Li, G. L., Yang, T., Zhang, L., Wang, X., Xu, X., & Ni, H. (2022) · Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00280-022-04483-7 · Cited by 15
Development of Dual-Receptor Lysosome-Targeting Chimeras for Protein Degradation
Wang, K., Wang, K., Wang, C., Yang, H., Zhou, G., Ji, P., Sun, X., Gong, C., Fan, X., Hu, K., et al. (2025) · Journal of the American Chemical Society · doi:10.1021/jacs.5c13695 · Cited by 13
Gou, X., He, S., Wang, B., Zhang, L., Cheng, Y., & Gao, X. (2025) · Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.addr.2025.115755 · Cited by 13
An Update on Clinically Advanced PROTAC Degraders and Their Synthesis
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Targeted β‐catenin ubiquitination and degradation by multifunctional stapled peptides
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Small-Molecule Degraders of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Protein: A Review
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Danazumi, A. U., Ishmam, I. T., Idris, S., Izert, M. A., Balogun, E. O., & Górna, M. W. (2023) · European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106451 · Cited by 14
“3A), facilitating the ubiquitination of the target protein (Churcher, 2018).”
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“Similar to HyT, a bifunctional molecule is synthesized, however in place of a chaperone-baiting hydrophobic moiety, an E3 ligase-baiting group is fused to a target-specific ligand, such as a competitive inhibitor [125-137].”
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TrypPROTACs Unlocking New Therapeutic Strategies for Chagas Disease
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Medicines discovery for auditory disorders: Challenges for industry
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Native Mass Spectrometry: Insights and Opportunities for Targeted Protein Degradation
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Funk, A. L., Katerji, M., Afifi, M. M., Nyswaner, K. M., Woodroofe, C. C., Edwards, Z. C., Lindberg, E., Bergman, K. L., Gough, N. R., Rubin, M. R., et al. (2025) · Science Signaling · doi:10.1126/scisignal.ado2857 · Cited by 11
A comprehensive primer and review of PROTACs and their In Silico design
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Bifunctional robots inducing targeted protein degradation
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León, R. G., & Bassham, D. C. (2023) · Pest Management Science · doi:10.1002/ps.7741 · Cited by 10
Metadata
- Authors
- Churcher, I.
- Affiliations
- BenevolentBio, 40 Churchway, London NW1 1LW, U.K.
- Corresponding author
- Churcher, Ian
- ORCID
- Churcher, Ian
- Venue
- Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2017-12-19
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 444-452
- ISSN
- 0022-2623 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-4804
- OpenAlex
- W2769590617
- Cited by
- 491
- References
- 67
- Citations by year
- 2026: 45 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 49 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 54 · 2020: 84 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 4.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Degradation and Inhibitors
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Chemical Synthesis and Analysis
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways
- Keywords
- targeted protein degradation, PROTACs, bifunctional small molecules, protein degradation, drug discovery
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Peptides, Recombinant Proteins, Drug Design, Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases, Small Molecule Libraries, Ubiquitination, Drug Discovery, Molecular Targeted Therapy, Proteolysis
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