Fragment-based drug discovery supports drugging 'undruggable' protein-protein interactions

Abstract

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) have important roles in various cellular processes, but are commonly described as 'undruggable' therapeutic targets due to their large, flat, featureless interfaces. Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has achieved great success in modulating PPIs, with more than ten compounds in clinical trials. Here, we highlight the progress of FBDD in modulating PPIs for therapeutic development. Targeting hot spots that have essential roles in both fragment binding and PPIs provides a shortcut for the development of PPI modulators via FBDD. We highlight successful cases of cracking the 'undruggable' problems of PPIs using fragment-based approaches. We also introduce new technologies and future trends. Thus, we hope that this review will provide useful guidance for drug discovery targeting PPIs.

Keywords: PPI modulator; fragment evolution; fragment screening; hot spot; structure-based drug design.