Review maps protein interactions as breast cancer therapeutic targets

Protein-protein interactions are being examined as therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers for breast cancer, according to a 2026 review in Molecular Biology Reports . The review focuses on how altered molecular connections are associated with breast-cancer initiation and progression, and on the ways computational and experimental methods can help identify interventions directed at those connections. Its scope is a synthesis of research rather than a new clinical trial or dataset analysis.

One central mechanism described in the review is the rewiring of interactions by driver mutations. These changes affect regulatory pathways including apoptosis, DNA-damage repair and hormone-receptor signalling. The review therefore considers protein interactions not only as molecular features of cancer cells but also as possible points of control for strategies that influence these pathways.

The article surveys the technologies used to investigate protein-protein interactions in breast cancer, combining computational approaches with experimental advances. It also discusses the translational value of these interactions as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Two examples of targeted strategies highlighted are BCL-2 inhibitors and molecular glues, both of which are described within clinical exploration in the review.

The source presents these approaches as examples of ongoing development, rather than reporting their efficacy as established treatments for breast cancer. The review identifies heterogeneity and drug-resistance mechanisms as important challenges in this field. The review also points to future directions that include dynamic analysis at the single-cell level and artificial-intelligence-assisted drug design.

These are proposed areas for future work; the supplied evidence does not present them as completed clinical validations or demonstrated improvements in patient outcomes. Published in Volume 53 as article 1511, the review concludes that protein-protein interactions provide a theoretical and technical basis for precision treatment of breast cancer. Its overall contribution is to organize mechanisms, research technologies and translational strategies around a shared framework.

The article’s data-availability statement says that no datasets were generated or analysed during the review. Accordingly, the findings summarized here concern the state of research and the priorities identified by the authors, not a new treatment result or a comparison of clinical outcomes.

Subject of Research: Protein-protein interactions as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in breast cancer

Article Title: Protein-protein interactions as therapeutic targets in breast cancer: integrated computational and experimental advances, mechanisms and clinical translation

Article References: Liu, K., Yang, Y., Yang, H., & Du, S. (2026). Protein-protein interactions as therapeutic targets in breast cancer: integrated computational and experimental advances, mechanisms and clinical translation. Molecular Biology Reports, 53(1), Article 1511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-026-12678-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s11033-026-12678-x

Keywords: breast cancer, protein-protein interactions, driver mutations, precision treatment, BCL-2 inhibitors, molecular glues, drug resistance, single-cell analysis, artificial intelligence, Protein-protein, interactions, therapeutic