Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42169196›Full record

ReviewBiomarker research2026

Proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) in cancer: design principles and applications on "undruggable" targets.

Xun Lu, Jianliang Qin, Shuilin Dong, Yue Yuan, Zhanguo Zhang, Bixiang Zhang, Xiaoping Chen, Xiaoli Gan, Huifang Liang, Furong Liu

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Biomarker research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Xun Lu *Division of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Jianliang Qin *State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China.
Shuilin Dong *Division of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Yue YuanDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine at Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Zhanguo ZhangDivision of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Bixiang ZhangDivision of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Xiaoping ChenDivision of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Xiaoli GanDivision of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China. lililovebox@126.com.
Huifang LiangDivision of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China. lianghuifang1997@126.com.
Furong LiuDivision of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China. furongliu@hust.edu.cn.

Funding

Hubei Province Natural Science Foundation No. 2024AFB294National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 82172976National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 82303628National Science and Technology Major Project No. 2024ZD0525002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Targeted cancer therapies can enhance in vivo efficacy and decrease side effects by changing the distribution and exposure of specific biomolecules in tissues. Nevertheless, there are many cancer target proteins that cannot be targeted by traditional drugs. Some new technologies and drug design strategies have been applied to overcome these "undruggable" targets, among which the most well-known and classic technology is proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs). In order to design a better PROTAC structure for targeting "undruggable" targets, we elaborated in detail on the design of protein of interest (POI) ligands, E3 ligase ligands and linkers in PROTAC structures, the predicting of PROTAC ternary complex structures, and the advantages and disadvantages of using carriers in PROTAC delivery systems. In addition, this article also reviews the current research status of PROTAC targeting "undruggable" targets, such as kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), c-Myc and p53. The challenges faced by PROTACs and the possible solutions were discussed, and the possibility of PROTAC broadening the range of drug therapeutic targets, especially the "undruggable" target, was prospected.

Indexed as

Applications on “undruggable” targetsDesign principlesProteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC)

Identifiers

PMID42169196
PMCPMC13330195

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.