PROTACs in Treatment of Cancer: A review.

Cancer treatment has become a major challenge amidst the resistance and relapse caused by the various treatments available. The PROteolysis TAargeting Chimera (PROTAC) technology involves the degradation of target protein against the inhibition by small drug molecules. The PROTACs with high potency and activity have been frequently reported; however, no PROTAC acting against cancer has reached the clinical trials so far. The concept of PROTACs involves the reduction in the disease causing protein by its degradation through ubiquitin-proteosomal enzyme system. This concept has attracted a lot of attention from both industry and academia due to its potential in drug discovery (in the form of PROTACs) which can conquer the resistance associated with current treatments of cancer. Thus, it is the need of hour to identify and synthesize more PROTACs for a viable treatment of cancer. This article reviews the design, activity and the effects produced in cancer by some recently developed PROTACs.