G protein-coupled receptors sit in the plasma membrane, the boundary that defines the inside and outside of a living cell. They communicate with nearly every physiological process in our bodies, from the ability to see and smell, to sensing of adrenaline, insulin, nutrients and medicines. Researchers now report using AI to create tiny, computationally designed proteins to activate or block G protein-coupled receptors. The methods used in their study may form a roadmap for future efforts to create new drug candidates for metabolic, inflammatory, and neurological diseases. These approaches would try to target G protein-coupled receptors that have been largely inaccessible to conventional drug discovery.  

New research from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center highlights a promising new approach to smoking cessation by targeting the brain’s executive control system. In a randomized clinical trial led by Hollings researcher Xingbao Li, M.D., noninvasive brain stimulation aimed at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex helped participants reduce smoking and suppress cravings more effectively than other targeting approaches.

The findings suggest that strengthening brain regions involved in decision-making and self-control may help people to better manage the urge to smoke. The work adds to growing efforts at Hollings to expand evidence-based tobacco treatment options and better understand the brain mechanisms underlying addiction.

A 2019 vaping-related health scare reshaped how many smokers view the risks of e-cigarettes – and those perceptions still linger today. New research from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center found that smokers came to see e-cigarettes as equally or more dangerous relative to combustible cigarettes, even after the true cause of the illness was identified, which may influence decisions about quitting or switching.

“That period really changed how people think about these products,” said lead researcher Tracy Smith, Ph.D., who co-leads the Hollings Cancer Prevention and Control Program. “Even after we learned more about what caused the illness, those perceptions didn’t fully reset.”