The Cao Lab is a chemical biology and structural biology laboratory dedicated to developing innovative molecular glue (MG) strategies to overcome the long-standing challenge of the "undruggable" proteome in cancer and other diseases.
Many diseases are driven by proteins that cannot be targeted by conventional small-molecule inhibitors. Exemplified by the FDA-approved drugs lenalidomide and pomalidomide, MG degraders are small molecules that recruit E3 ubiquitin ligases to induce the selective degradation of these previously undruggable proteins. Because approximately 80% of the human proteome lacks druggable binding pockets, MGs have the potential to transform targeted therapeutics.
By integrating chemical biology, structural biology, quantitative biophysics, cell biology, and computational modeling, we aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms governing molecular glue function, establish principles for their rational discovery and design, and translate these discoveries into next-generation therapeutic strategies. Our vision is to make the undruggable druggable and expand therapeutic opportunities for patients.