Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42506886›Full record

ArticleCancer discovery2026

Systematic Targeting of Protein Complexes with Molecular COUPLrs.

Diane Yang, Stefan Andrew Harry, Harrison Byron Chong, Neha Khandelwal, Edwin Zhang, Natalie Shannon Nordenfelt, Nicholas Chen, Christine Lee, Stefan T Kaluziak, Elizabeth M Codd and 41 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer discovery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Designing the Proteome with Chemical Tools: Degrons and Beyond.Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
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

51 authors.

Diane YangMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0002-2229-0622
Stefan Andrew HarryMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0002-2726-0104
Harrison Byron ChongMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0004-6541-6194
Neha KhandelwalMassachusetts General Hospital Charlestown, Massachusetts United States.ORCID 0000-0001-7831-6820
Edwin ZhangMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0009-0004-3984-6051
Natalie Shannon NordenfeltMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3484-029X
Nicholas ChenHarvard University United States.ORCID 0000-0002-7975-2787
Christine LeeHarvard University United States.ORCID 0009-0002-4971-3266
Stefan T KaluziakMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0002-7531-2602
Elizabeth M CoddMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0009-0007-8738-6258
Samay TrivediMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0000-0049-7510
Magdy GoharMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0002-4246-1628
Giovan McKnightMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0005-6066-0275
Dawn R MitchellMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0009-0002-1349-4145
Maolin GeMassachusetts General Hospital Charlestown, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0002-8803-1463
Chengzhuo GaoMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0009-0008-6022-554X
Zavontae HolmesMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0007-4459-4276
Wenxin YangMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0009-0006-9141-367X
Abigail Elizabeth SmithMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0002-0252-927X
Alexander Daniel CarlinMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0002-1821-4694
Matthew J LazarovMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0006-3970-7769
Sufian Moawiyah IbrahimMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0001-5746-3992
Mariko TakahashiMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2465-7907
Siwen ZhangMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0006-9587-2646
Herman Xin Yang LeongMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0001-5603-9129
Hector Martinez LunaMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0003-7171-7981
Reilly StevensMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0000-0515-8323
Paul Strickland MullinMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0001-1043-4393
Anastasia IgnashkinaMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0000-8062-1752
Zander ChearavanontMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0001-1560-0063
Kim EmondsMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0009-3632-5126
George PopoolaMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0009-0004-7852-8128
Idris A BarakatHarvard University United States.ORCID 0009-0006-6434-6109
Maristela L OnozatoMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2619-1848
Mohammed MahamdehMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0003-3985-6992
Toshio FujinoMassachusetts General Hospital Charlestown, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3640-3472
Jan GerhartzUniversity of Bonn Germany.ORCID 0009-0002-9457-4656
Emily E AckermanMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0003-0735-7152
Huan Yee KohMonash University Clayton, Victoria  Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0488-2616
Vivek NaranbhaiMonash University Melbourne, VIC Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4281-8882
Hyuk-Soo SeoDana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0003-0646-2102
Sirano Dhe-PaganonDana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0003-0824-5929
Zhen-Yu Jim SunDana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0001-7527-6026
Gregory J HeffronDana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4185-2739
Aaron N HataMassachusetts General Hospital Charlestown, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0002-6127-318X
Roy Jason SobermanMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0002-2817-0517
Radoslaw P NowakUniversity of Bonn Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0605-0071
Christopher J OttMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0001-6142-7241
Brian B LiauHarvard University United States.ORCID 0000-0002-2985-462X
A John IafrateMassachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA United States.ORCID 0000-0002-7888-4067
Liron Bar-PeledMassachusetts General Hospital Boston United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2687-9546

Funding

Tissue and Pathology ResourcesP50CA127003 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI SHIVDASANI, RAMESH A · 2007 to 2023
$33.2M
Overcoming Resistance Mechanisms to Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase InhibitorsR01CA164273 · NCI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI Aaron N Hata, Jessica Jiyeong Lin · 2012 to 2026
$5.5M
Mapping Structure-Activity Relationships of Chemical Inhibitors via Genome-EditingDP2GM137494 · NIGMS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · PI LIAU, BRIAN · 2019 to 2019
$2.5M
Identification of Covalent Transcriptional Dependencies in MelanomaR01CA285415 · NCI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI Liron Bar-Peled, Brian Liau · 2024 to 2026
$2.0M
Deciphering the Role of Reductive Stress in Non Small Cell Lung CancerR37CA260062 · NCI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI Liron Bar-Peled · 2022 to 2026
$1.9M
Integrating Chemical Genetic Approaches with Precision Genome EditingR35GM153476 · NIGMS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · PI Brian Liau · 2024 to 2026
$1.2M
Chemical Proteomic Identification of Druggable Oncogenic Transcription FactorsR21CA256082 · NCI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI BAR-PELED, LIRON · 2021 to 2023
$620k
NCI NIH HHS P50 CA127003NCI NIH HHS R01 CA164273NCI NIH HHS R01 CA285415NCI NIH HHS R21 CA256082NCI NIH HHS R37 CA260062NIGMS NIH HHS DP2 GM137494NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM153476
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Small molecules that modulate protein complexes have transformed cell biology and oncology, yet few chemical starting points exist to probe protein-protein interactions. To expand this space, we developed molecular COUPLrs, elaborated small molecules flanked by two cysteine‑reactive warheads. Using CONNECT, an integrated chemical proteomic platform that identifies proteins and complexes amenable to coupling, we revealed 171 targetable protein classes, including mutant‑selective complexes and assemblies not traditionally addressed by small molecules. We then optimized a COUPLr against the oncogenic fusion EML4‑ALK. This compound engages EML4‑ALK by binding its EML4 domain, remodeling protein dynamics, disrupting downstream signaling, and inducing proteasome‑mediated degradation of the fusion. Finally, we show that FDA‑approved drugs can be converted into COUPLrs to degrade their targets, indicating that this modality can endow existing therapeutics with new functional properties. Overall, molecular COUPLrs offer an unbiased framework to discover, characterize, and pharmacologically exploit protein complexes.

Identifiers

PMID42506886
PMCPMC13527781

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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.