A molecular cage keeps 'protein killer' drugs switched off until a beam of red light opens it

A promising class of medicines called PROTACs destroys disease-causing proteins outright instead of just blocking them — but they also destroy the same proteins in healthy tissue. Chemists led by Professor Phoebe Glazer at North Carolina State University built a cage, made with the metal ruthenium, that holds a PROTAC inactive until low-energy red light — which passes through tissue — springs it open exactly where it is needed. In zebrafish tests the caged drug stayed non-toxic until lit, then removed its target proteins in the lit area alone. The study is published in Nature Communications.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation