De-peptidising protein-protein interactions - big jobs for small molecules

Virtually all biological processes rely on protein-protein interactions (PPIs) for signal propagation, therefore representing a vast array of potentially viable therapeutic intervention points. Targeting PPIs is a relatively novel drug development strategy so computational approaches towards analysing the interface between protein partners and predicting the likelihood of developing a small molecule inhibitor are still progressing. This review provides an overview of recent successful examples of computational methodologies used to predict druggable PPIs and small molecules designed to inhibit them.