Revolutionary Signal-Selective Drugs Developed by Hungarian and Japanese Researchers

Hungarian and Japanese researchers have collaboratively advanced the development of more effective signal-transduction-selective drugs that exhibit fewer side effects.

Their findings, published in the journal Science Signaling, highlight a revolutionary approach in drug discovery. These new drugs specifically target therapeutically beneficial signaling pathways from receptors, minimizing the impact on mechanisms that cause side effects.

The HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network emphasized the significance of this discovery, noting its potential to improve drug targeting and usage. Researchers have already made significant progress in creating drugs for pain relief, diabetes, and heart failure using signal transduction-selective molecules.

However, widespread therapeutic use requires a deeper understanding of how these cellular responses are generated.

András Tóth, Bence Szalai, and their team at the HUN-REN Research Center for Natural Sciences (HUN-REN TTK) discovered that receptor endocytosis plays a central regulatory role in developing signal transduction-selective effects, influencing their spatial and temporal organization. They also found that some hormones selectively trigger physiological responses through this mechanism.

A holistic approach, identified by Prof. László Hunyady’s research group at the Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, HUN-REN, has paved the way for developing more targeted drugs with fewer side effects. This approach goes beyond focusing solely on the molecular structure of receptors.

The significance of these findings was highlighted in an editorial in Science Signaling, praising the discovery’s importance.

This collaborative effort between Hungarian and Japanese scientists represents a critical step forward in drug development, promising more effective treatments with reduced side effects, and opening new avenues for targeting specific signaling pathways in medical therapies.

Via MTI; Featured Image: Pixabay