A Top-Down Design Approach for Generating a Peptide PROTAC Drug Targeting Androgen Receptor for Androgenetic Alopecia Therapy

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Abstract
While large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) models for protein structure prediction and design are advancing rapidly, the translation of deep learning models for practical macromolecular drug development remains limited. This investigation aims to bridge this gap by combining cutting-edge methodologies to create a novel peptide-based PROTAC drug development paradigm. Using ProteinMPNN and RFdiffusion, we identified binding peptides for androgen receptor (AR) and Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL), followed by computational modeling with Alphafold2-multimer and ZDOCK to predict spatial interrelationships. Experimental validation confirmed the designed peptide's binding ability to AR and VHL. Transdermal microneedle patching technology was seamlessly integrated for the peptide PROTAC drug delivery in androgenic alopecia treatment. In summary, our approach provides a generic method for generating peptide PROTACs and offers a practical application for designing potential therapeutic drugs for androgenetic alopecia. This showcases the potential of interdisciplinary approaches in advancing drug development and personalized medicine.
Funding Information
  • National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFC3404100)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (81925028, 82002717)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (2021ZDLSF02-15)

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