Fox Chase Cancer Center Researchers Find New Method Of Fixing Broken Proteins To Treat Genetic Diseases

EurekAlert! -- PHILADELPHIA (January 14, 2010) – Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have demonstrated how it could be possible to treat genetic diseases by enhancing the natural ability of cells to restore their own mutant proteins. In particular, they found that drugs called proteosome inhibitors could provide one way of manipulating cells into producing more of a so-called chaperone protein, named Hsp70, which helps amino acid chains fold into their proper protein form.