SPR is a fast and straightforward method to estimate the binding constants of cyclic dinucleotides to their binding partners, such as STING or poxin.

Abstract

The development of small molecule drugs that target protein binders is the central goal in medicinal chemistry. During the lead compound development process, hundreds or even thousands of compounds are synthesized, with the primary focus on their binding affinity to protein targets. Typically, IC₅₀ or EC₅₀ values are used to rank these compounds. While thermodynamic values, such as the dissociation constant (KD), would be more informative, they are experimentally less accessible. In this study, we compare isothermal calorimetry (ITC) with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) using human STING, a key protein of innate immunity, and several cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) that serve as its ligands. We demonstrate that SPR, with recent technological advancements, provides KDs that are sufficiently accurate for drug development purposes. To illustrate the versatility of our approach, we also used SPR to estimate the KD of poxin binding to cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) that serves as a second messenger in the innate immune system. In conclusion, SPR offers a high benefit-to-cost ratio, making it an effective tool in the drug design process.