GoKawiilSome of the most exciting therapies to have emerged in the past decade are what are known as proximity-inducing drugs. Rather than inhibiting proteins directly, these compounds bring two other molecules (usually proteins) closer together, triggering biological outcomes such as protein degradation, modification and activation. Molecular glues are a class of proximity-inducing drug that work by stabilizing weak or transient interactions between proteins1. Writing in Nature, Witus et al.2 report that naturally occurring molecules known as purine nucleotides can function as molecular glues. Moreover, the authors show that thiopurines — drugs that have been used clinically for at least 70 years — do the same thing. These findings uncover an unexpected connection between metabolism, nutrient sensing and proximity-driven regulation of biological processes.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01945-3
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Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests.
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