Small molecules used to block prote...( new way to approach other diseases and...)

"Because protein surfaces are very large and can interact at various sites, trying to develop a molecule that can both pass through the cell's membrane and block the proteins isn't easy to accomplish," she says. "The molecules we developed are 50 times smaller than the dimeric enzyme they must block, so it's like David taking on Goliath. But I think we've learned a lot over the past ten years about how to do it."

One way to accomplish this feat is to find key portions on the surface of a protein where it joins and interacts with other proteins, she says.

"In the case of HIV protease, there are only two major pieces that actually come together to form the key enzyme, and that's one of the reasons why we chose that as our model system," Chmielewski says.

She is now using this approach to find ways to inhibit various transcription factors, molecules used in the replication of cells. Her studies at Purdue are funded by the National Institutes of Health.

At the ACS meeting in Washington, Chmielewski will outline her approach and serve as chairwoman of a session on this topic. Her panel includes three members from industry and a researcher from Yale who are using small molecules to inhibit protein interactions in various other systems.

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Contact: Susan Gaidos
sgaidos@uns.purdue.edu
765-494-2081
Purdue University
19-Aug-2000