ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL, The Scripps Research Institute and other institutions launched the Human Dark Proteome Initiative, to focus on the portion of the proteome that does not adopt defined 3D structures.
Recent developments in technology, including advances in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy methods, allow researchers to study intrinsically disordered proteins and intrinsically disordered regions of these molecules.
“Our goal is to raise awareness about the potential societal impacts of a broad-based research infrastructure for these understudied proteins,” said Richard Kriwacki, a member of the St. Jude Department of Structural Biology.