Volume 21 Issue 3, March 2022

BMS’s LAG3-targeted antibody relatlimab is poised to expand the checkpoint inhibitor class beyond PD1 and CTLA4, but questions remain about the target’s future.

Targeted protein degradation with proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) has the potential to tackle disease-causing proteins that have historically been highly challenging to target with conventional small molecules. This article summarizes the first two decades of PROTAC discovery and discusses key areas for the future of this therapeutic modality, including establishing the target classes for which it is most suitable and extending its application beyond oncology.

The development of therapies that are capable of safely achieving sizeable and sustained body weight loss has proved tremendously challenging. Here, Müller et al. provide an overview of the history of anti-obesity drug development, focusing on lessons learned, ongoing challenges and recent advances in the field.

Accumulating evidence suggests that, for some people, major depressive disorder has immunological roots. Here, Manji and colleagues discuss the progress towards immune-based treatments for depression, including which biomarkers might be most useful, as well as potential challenges to this approach.