NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Researchers from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and The Scripps Research Institute today announced the launch of the Human Dark Proteome Initiative (HDPI).
The initiative aims to foster research into the roughly one third of the proteome consisting of proteins that do not adopt defined three-dimensional structures. A number of these so-called intrinsically disordered proteins are implicated in conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as infectious and neurodegenerative diseases.
Recent technological advances, such as improved nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy approaches, enable deeper research into these molecules.
"We need to advance our understanding of the functions and molecular mechanisms of these proteins so we can work toward better therapies for these debilitating diseases," TSRI researcher and HDPI Chair Peter Wright said in a statement.
In addition to St. Jude's and TSRI, researchers from Columbia University, Rutgers University, UConn Health, University of California, San Francisco, and Washington University in St. Louis are also participating in the initiative.