AI discovers GIPCi inhibitor for undruggable pancreatic cancer protein GIPC1

Gist US-based Mayo Clinic and Bengaluru startup Sravathi AI Technology have jointly discovered a targeted treatment for highly aggressive pancreatic cancer. By leveraging artificial intelligence, researchers identified a small molecule inhibitor capable of binding to the previously "undruggable" GIPC1 protein. This breakthrough accelerates the drug discovery process from years to months, potentially revolutionising treatments for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and demonstrating the tangible impact of AI in advanced medical research. Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma PDAC is the most prevalent and aggressive form of exocrine pancreatic cancer, notorious for a dismal prognosis due to late diagnosis, rapid progression, and high resistance to chemotherapy. GIPC1 is a specific protein that does not cause cancer directly but is heavily overproduced in PDAC, where cancer cells hijack its signalling pathways to drive rapid tumour growth and invade other tissues. Historically, GIPC1 was considered "undruggable" because its PDZ domain —a structural component made of amino acids found across various organisms—features broad, shallow surfaces that prevent conventional small drug molecules from binding effectively. Traditional drug discovery requires years of manual laboratory trial and error to find binding…