Fragment-based drug discovery for the sweet tooth of prostate cancer

八分之一的男性在一生中会患上前列腺癌，这使得改善治疗方案成为绝对必要。改变的糖结构，也称为聚糖，是前列腺癌的一个一致特征，但在药物发现中却大大不足。最近，我们已经确定了一种糖基化酶作为一种新的治疗靶点，并为开发更好的前列腺癌治疗方法提供了令人兴奋的机会。该项目由英国前列腺癌和化学生物学研究所共同资助，将专注于基于片段的药物发现，靶向这种酶。我们将联合收割机结合新的化学空间和建模方法，以产生具有合适相互作用特征的先导化合物。将进行生物学评估，以设想一种药物，击中糖基化，甜食的前列腺癌。我们正在寻找具有强大的化学背景的申请人，最好在药物发现/药物化学方面有一定的经验。您将领导一个合作项目，需要与PI协调，记录保存和可重复，安全的实验室工作的奉献精神的优秀技能。该项目将在伦敦帝国理工学院全新的分子科学研究中心进行，该中心是英国化学科学的旗舰，拥有最先进的实验室空间和设备。它的特点是与合作者在纽卡斯尔和萨拉戈萨（西班牙）的工作，以及在伦敦市中心的弗朗西斯克里克研究所借调的潜力。

One in eight men get prostate cancer in their lifetime, making improved therapy options an absolute necessity. Altered sugar structures, also called glycans, are a consistent feature of prostate cancer but are vastly underexplored in drug discovery. Very recently, we have identified a glycosylation enzyme as a novel therapeutic target and an exciting opportunity to develop better treatments for prostate cancer. This project, co-funded by Prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Chemical Biology, will focus on fragment-based drug discovery target this enzyme. We will combine newly-available chemical space and modelling approaches to generate lead compounds with suitable interaction profiles. Biological evaluation will be performed to envisage a drug that hits glycosylation, the sweet tooth of prostate cancer. We are looking for applicants with a strong background in chemistry, ideally with some experience in drug discovery/medicinal chemistry. You will be leading a collaborative project, requiring excellent skills in coordinating with PIs, record-keeping and dedication for reproducible, safe laboratory work. This project will be carried out at the brand-new Molecular Sciences Research Hub at Imperial College London, a flagship of chemical sciences in the UK with state-of-the-art laboratory space and equipment. It features work with collaborators in Newcastle and Zaragoza (Spain), as well as the potential for a secondment at the Francis Crick Institute in central London.