Improving Drug Discovery: A Molecular Understanding of Cell Receptors (Short)
Channel: The Royal Society of Victoria
Date: 13/12/2021

The human animal is multicellular – an organism comprised of trillions of smaller organisms. As with any complex organisation, each individual cell in our body must communicate with and respond effectively to the collective to keep our systems working. Our cells send chemical messages to each other – neurotransmitters – and receive these signals through the use of special proteins on their surfaces – receptors – that comprise and interact with the “extracellular matrix,” an intricate network of specialised molecules that perform structural, biochemical and signalling functions between our bodies’ cells and systems.

The largest family of cell-surface receptor proteins are called G Protein-Coupled Receptors, or GPCRs. GPCRs respond to extracellular stimuli such as hormones, neurotransmitters, peptides, metabolites and odours, while controlling a variety of physiological functions. Importantly, they have been found to have an excellent response as drug targets and are thus very useful in developing effective medicines to combat serious disease. Currently, GPCR targets are implicated in around 25% of all medicines approved by the USA’s Food and Drug Administration.

However, many hurdles remain to improving GPCR drug discovery, requiring an expanded, interdisciplinary approach to open the door to new therapies.  Here, Dr Christopher Draper-Joyce from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health introduces us to new, proof-of-concept approaches that promise the development of safer and much improved options for GPCR therapeutics.

Chris is the RSV's 2021 Winner of the Phillip Law Postdoctoral Award for the Biomedical and Health Sciences. 

Produced by the Royal Society of Victoria with the support of the Inspiring Victoria program. Chris' full presentation is available from https://youtu.be/kDynzPYP5XU.