Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have achieved a major milestone by visualizing the atomic structure of CXCR2, a key receptor implicated in cancer progression and severe respiratory disorders such as COPD and asthma. Their cutting-edge findings, published in Molecular Cell, could open new therapeutic avenues for clinicians worldwide.
- CXCR2 plays a pivotal role in immune responses, directing immune cells to sites of infection or injury. However, its excessive activation can drive inflammation and promote tumor growth.
- Using cryogenic-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), the IIT Kanpur team has now revealed how CXCR2 functions like a “lock-and-key” with multiple chemokines—small signaling molecules pivotal for immune cell recruitment.
- This discovery addresses a longstanding question about how a single receptor can accommodate diverse chemokine interactions, laying the groundwork for designing highly specific inhibitors.
"Our findings provide a molecular blueprint for designing next-generation therapeutics that can precisely target CXCR2 and potentially reduce its role in cancer and respiratory diseases. By visualizing this receptor in its active state, we now have the opportunity to develop highly specific inhibitors that can disrupt its function, potentially leading to significant advancements in treatment strategies," said Professor Arun Kumar Shukla, lead investigator of the study.
Backed by grants from the DBT Wellcome Trust India Alliance, SERB, ICMR, and LADY TATA Memorial Trust, the researchers are now developing small molecules and antibodies targeting CXCR2. These promising candidates will undergo rigorous lab and animal testing, potentially transforming clinical care and offering hope for improved cancer and respiratory disease treatments.
