Cytosolic Protein Targeting

The mammalian cell cytoplasm contains numerous antiviral detectors that sense viral components and elicit their rapid degradation. The McEwan Lab asks whether this activity could be repurposed for promoting the selective degradation of unwanted or toxic proteins. The ability to destroy such proteins could represent a powerful therapeutic approach in several settings. Our current research focusses on tau, a protein which becomes misfolded during the course of Alzheimer’s disease.