The Protein Array and Analysis Core (PAAC) at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Science Park provides investigators access to innovative and cutting-edge cancer research tools for the discovery and characterization of novel protein-protein interactions. This is accomplished using a state-of-the-art protein microarrayer and additional equipment that will provide biophysical analysis of protein-protein interactions. The PAAC is supported by a grant from Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Please acknowledge use of this core in your publications (CPRIT RP 130432).
Apart from identifying novel protein-protein interactions that are mediated between protein peptides and protein domains we will provide the know-how and instrumentation to determine the strength of these protein-protein interactions. Discovering new nodes of interaction in signal transduction pathways is important because these protein networks are often deregulated in cancers. Importantly, these pathways can be targeted with drugs that inhibit the enzyme that deposits the posttranslational modifications that facilitate many of these interactions. Also, protein-protein interactions directly targeted with small molecules. These findings will lay the groundwork, and identify the targets, for future cancer drug discovery projects.