News-Medical.Net November 28, 2025
Introduction
Mechanism of Action
Life Science Innovation
Therapeutic Frontiers
Challenges and Future Directions
Conclusions
References
Further Reading
Molecular glues represent a new generation of small molecules that harness the cell’s own degradation machinery to remove harmful or “undruggable” proteins. This article examines their structural basis, discovery methods, and emerging clinical promise in oncology and beyond.
Introduction
Molecular glues are small, monovalent molecules that reshape an E3 ubiquitin ligase (E3) surface to promote a new protein-protein interaction with a target, triggering ubiquitination and removal by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). In contrast, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are bifunctional molecules that bridge a ligand for an E3 to a ligand for the protein of interest via a linker to form a ternary complex.
Glues are typically smaller (often more drug-like) and...
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