3D map of cell signaling sites could help improve cancer treatment
Harvard Medical School researchers have created an AI-powered tool called KinoPlex that maps 3D cell signaling sites to identify active kinases in cancer cells. This tool aims to help oncologists select the most effective kinase-inhibiting treatments for individual patients.
Why it matters
Personalized cancer therapy based on specific kinase activity could significantly improve treatment outcomes and reduce trial-and-error prescribing.
by Laura Castañón, Harvard Medical School
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Add as preferred source Kinase families exhibit distinct structural preferences among phosphosites. Credit: Nature Biotechnology (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-026-03239-5 Cell-communication molecules called kinases play a key role in the growth and spread of many cancers. But exactly which kinases are active in a particular cancer is not always clear—there are 1.8 million sites on human proteins that kinases might act on, and researchers have fully characterized fewer than 1% of them.
A Harvard Medical School team has now built an AI-enabled tool called KinoPlex that maps the three-dimensional structures and biochemical environments of all these sites and matches them with the specific kinases that can interact with them.
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