Towards the Rational Design of Monovalent Degraders: Lessons Learnt from Cyclin K Degraders

Chimia (Aarau). 2025 Mar 26;79(3):162-166. doi: 10.2533/chimia.2025.162.

Abstract

Monovalent degraders can enhance pre-existing surface complementarity between a target protein and a ligase to induce target degradation via the proteasome. For the most part, degraders have been discovered serendipitously and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies have been limited, making it difficult to rationally design new compounds. Here we discuss how work on the SAR of cyclin K degraders demonstrates that a broad range of compounds can stabilise protein-protein interactions to induce degradation and how it lays the foundation for further monovalent degrader discovery.

Keywords: Cyclin K; Monovalent degraders; Targeted protein degradation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cyclins* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Cyclins* / metabolism
  • Drug Design*
  • Humans
  • Proteolysis* / drug effects
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Cyclins