Unlocking Precision Medicine: The Hidden Impact of Proteins on Existing Medications

Almost every medication influences, generates, or eliminates proteins—some are actually proteins themselves. But what happens when someone takes these drugs in high or low doses? What unfolds over time as the drug exerts its effects? Does it induce the production of new proteins in cells, or inhibit the synthesis of others? Until now, answers to such inquiries have been elusive. Thanks to a technique called decryptE, researchers have uncovered these interactions.

A Wealth of Results in a Short Timeframe

The researchers conducted experiments by treating cells with varying doses of 144 active substances over an 18-hour timeframe. Most of these drugs are currently utilized in cancer therapies or are undergoing clinical trials. After extraction, mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the proteins, and the results provided insights into cellular responses. This process generated over one million dose-response curves that detail how the active compounds impact cellular functions during treatment.

The results have been documented in the journal Nature Biotechnology by Bernhard Küster, a professor of proteomics and bioanalytics at TUM’s School of Life Sciences, along with researchers Nicola Berner, Stephan Eckert, and others from the TUM Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics. This data is now accessible to researchers worldwide through the ProteomicsDB database and its corresponding app.

Uncovering the Potential of Existing Medications

Cancer illustrates the necessity of understanding these cellular processes; different types of cancer exhibit diverse molecular behaviors. This knowledge is crucial for choosing effective treatment options and might provide insights for new drug developments. For instance, the research team discovered that HDAC inhibitors, a specific class of drugs, may weaken the immune system, which can influence tumor therapies that rely on immune responses.

The ability to make this finding without prior intent is a testament to how decryptE operates. Traditional experiments focus on a specific question and ideally aim to provide a clear answer. Conversely, decryptE captures everything that occurs, resulting in vast amounts of data that can be analyzed through digital methods from multiple perspectives. The researchers hope this could also lead to the discovery of new effects from commonly used drugs.

“Many medications might have more effects than we realize,” notes Bernhard Küster. “Take Aspirin, for instance. Its role as a pain reliever is widely accepted, but observations revealed that the active ingredient, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), also has blood-thinning properties. Today, it’s commonly prescribed to patients who have experienced strokes or heart attacks. We suspect that many often-used drugs possess effects that remain unidentified. Our research aims to systematically uncover these effects instead of waiting for them to be discovered by chance.”