Targeted protein degradation is an emergent modality that allows access to difficult-to-treat diseases. While traditional medicines such as small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies address fewer than 20% of the proteome, targeted degradation offers an exceptional means to tap into the rest of the vast, unexplored proteome.
Through this, a disease can be addressed by controlling the amount of a harmful protein rather than trying to modulate or inhibit its function. The control of protein levels is accomplished with a small molecule drug called a protein degrader.
Other Types Of Targeted Protein Degraders
Currently, there are several other types of targeted protein degraders and molecular glues, which have been / are being developed for the treatment of a variety of clinical conditions, including acute myeloid leukemia, Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, myelofibrosis, multiple myeloma, Parkinson's disease, prostate cancer, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and supranuclear palsy.
It is worth noting that the R&D efforts in this field are supported by DNA-encoded libraries and other in silico hit discovery and characterization tools. In the last 4-5 years, there has been a marked rise in the number of new entrants in this market. Additionally, several big pharma players are also actively involved in this field, appraising proprietary protein degrader-based therapeutic leads.
The market has also witnessed considerable partnership activity over the last few years, with several technology developers involved in high-value licensing deals. While, there are no approved protein degrader-based drugs / therapy products, the market is poised to witness healthy growth over the next decade.
Proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC), developed by Hashimoto Laboratory in 2008, was the primary targeted protein degrader. The continuous efforts of researchers involved in this domain have resulted in significant development towards understanding the physiochemical and biological properties of such bifunctional molecules.
What is the current trend in the domain?
As per a current market report by us, there are more than 85 small molecule protein degraders are currently being assessed for the treatment of various disease indications. In addition, there are 25+ technology platforms available for use in therapy development efforts.
In fact, the growing popularity of targeted protein degradation is evident in the USD 5 billion in capital investments made into companies engaged in this field of research, since 2014.
Our market report includes, tabulated profiles of leading industry players (shortlisted on the basis of the number of candidates in development pipeline). Each profile includes details on the innovator company (such as year of establishment, location of headquarters, number of employees, and key members of the executive team), recent developments, along with information on corresponding drug applicants.
