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2602: HIKESHI Round 9

Closed since 11 months ago

Intermediate Overall Small Molecule Design

Summary

Created: April 24, 2025
Expires: May 02, 2025 at 23:00 UTC
Max points: 100

Description

HIKESHI Associated Leukodystrophy (HAL), also known as Hypomyelinating Leukodystrophy-13 (HLD13), is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects young children. Caused by specific mutations in the Hikeshi protein, HAL leads to severe neurological problems such as developmental delays, muscle stiffness (spasticity), and a smaller-than-normal head size (microcephaly). Tragically, children with HAL often experience a rapid decline or even death after a fever.

Scientists believe that these mutations make Hikeshi unstable, causing it to misfold. But there's hope! Just as small molecules have been used to help stabilize misfolded proteins in other diseases—like cystic fibrosis—we want to find molecules that could do the same for Hikeshi.

In this puzzle series, you'll start with a candidate molecule placed in a potential binding pocket on Hikeshi. Your challenge is to tweak and optimize this molecule to help stabilize the protein's structure. By using your skills, you could contribute to the discovery of a treatment for HAL and related neurodegenerative disorders.