The first article featured in this “best of” newsletter is from Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models in the issue “Animal Models for Exploring the Microbiome” by  Simon Spichak, Katherine E. Guzzetta, Olivia F. O’Leary, Gerard Clarke, Timothy G. Dinan and John F.Cryan, entitled: “Without a bug’s life: Germ-free rodents to interrogate microbiota-gut-neuroimmune interactions”.  This is an interesting approach in that as we become more aware of how the gut microbiome can affect the effects of drugs and physiological processes. 

 

The second article in this newsletter (and from the same issue at the previous article) is entitled: “Model systems for the study of how symbiotic associations between animals and extracellular bacterial partners are established and maintained”. By Eric J. Koch and Margaret McFall-Ngai of Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawai?i at Manoa, Hawaii  USA. This article highlights the current state of play with respect to models for the study of host-microbe association. Such models may be of great importance in how drug development may play a role in the development and maintenance of healthy interplay between animals and microbes. 

 

 

Finally, I have included an article from Drug Discovery Today: Technologies entitled “Protein degradation for drug discovery” by Alessio Ciulli and William Farnaby from the University of Dundee. This article highlights and outlines all of the articles contained within this themed issue. The articles in this issue are of great interest and I’ve listed them here for your information:

 

R. Chopra, A. Sadok, I. Collins A critical evaluation of the approaches to targeted protein degradation for drug discovery 10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.02.002

M. Pettersson, C.M. Crews PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) — Past, present and future 10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.01.002

P.P. Chamberlain, B.E. Cathers Cereblon modulators: Low molecular weight inducers of protein degradation 10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.02.004

M. Naito, N. Ohoka, N. Shibata SNIPERs—Hijacking IAP activity to induce protein degradation 10.1016/j.ddtec.2018.12.002

C.-Y. Yang, C. Qin, L. Bai Small-molecule PROTAC degraders of the Bromodomain and Extra Terminal (BET) proteins — A review 10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.04.001

Y. Zhang, C. Loh, J. Chen, N. Mainolfi Targeted protein degradation mechanisms

10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.01.001

G.F. Watt, P. Scott-Stevens, L. Gaohua Targeted protein degradation in vivo with Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras: Current status and future considerations10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.02.005

D.L. Daniels, K.M. Riching, M. Urh Monitoring and deciphering protein degradation pathways inside cells 10.1016/j.ddtec.2018.12.001

P. Grandi, M. Bantscheff Advanced proteomics approaches to unravel protein homeostasis 10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.02.001

A. Yesbolatova, Y. Tominari, M.T. Kanemaki Ligand-induced genetic degradation as a tool for target validation 10.1016/j.ddtec.2018.11.001

C. Mayor-Ruiz, G.E. Winter Identification and characterization of cancer vulnerabilities via targeted protein degradation 10.1016/j.ddtec.2018.12.003

I.E. Wertz, J.M. Murray Structurally-defined deubiquitinase inhibitors provide opportunities to investigate disease mechanisms 10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.02.003

 

 

Steve Carney was born in Liverpool, England and studied Biochemistry at Liverpool University, obtaining a BSc.(Hons) and then read for a PhD on the Biochemistry and Pathology of Connective Tissue Diseases in Manchester University, in the Departments of Medical Biochemistry and Histopathology. On completion of his PhD he moved to the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, London, where he worked with Professor Helen Muir FRS and Professor Tim Hardingham, on the biochemistry of experimental Osteoarthritis. He joined Eli Lilly and Co. and held a number of positions in Biology R&D, initially in the Connective Tissue Department, but latterly in the Neuroscience Department. He left Lilly to take up his present position as Managing Editor, Drug Discovery Today, at Elsevier. Currently, he also holds an honorary lectureship in Drug Discovery at the University of Surrey, UK. He has authored over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals, written several book chapters and has held a number of patents.