Oncogenic protein fusions, which arise from the abnormal joining of two genes, drive tumor growth in a significant portion of cancers. These fusions often lead to the formation of aberrant protein complexes that fuel cancer development. While some drugs have been developed to target specific fusions, they often focus on a limited number of proteins and face challenges with drug resistance. This project aims to overcome those limitations by developing a new class of small molecule therapeutics called “Molecular Staples.” These staples act as “superglues,” specifically designed to bind and disrupt the protein-protein interactions within oncogenic fusions, offering a promising new strategy for cancer therapy.
Dr. Bar-Peled is an Associate Professor of Medicine in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on metabolic signaling in cancer and the application of chemical proteomic approaches to target oncogenes. The Bar-Peled lab combines molecular, chemical, and proteomic approaches to identify vulnerabilities in cancer cells that could be targeted therapeutically.