{"title":"Mapping the global landscape of molecular glues in drug discovery: a bibliometric analysis from 2010 to 2024.","authors":"Sonali Labhade, Ritesh Bhole, Pawan Karwa, Harshad Kapare, Subhashini Singh","doi":"10.1007/s00210-025-04630-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Molecular glues are an emerging class of small molecules that reprogram protein-protein interactions (PPIs), often by recruiting E3 ubiquitin ligases to neosubstrates, leading to targeted protein degradation. This bibliometric analysis systematically maps the molecular glue research landscape between 2010 and 2024, using the Dimensions database and visualization tools (VOSviewer and Bibliometrix). After screening, a curated set of 2491 publications was analyzed to assess trends in annual growth, geographic distribution, institutional output, author networks, and thematic hotspots. Results show rapid post-2020 expansion, driven by advances in structural biology, chemoproteomics, and computational design. The USA and China dominate in both productivity and collaboration networks, with European nations acting as strategic bridges and emerging contributors such as India, Japan, and South Korea showing thematic specialization. Beyond oncology-the dominant field-applications are expanding into neurodegenerative, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. Distinctive features of this study include pharmacology-focused tagging of E3 ligases (e.g., CRBN, DCAF15, RNF114), neosubstrates (IKZF1/3, RBM39, BRD4), and translational signals (clinical-phase and patient-linked studies). By capturing 2024 publications and providing therapeutic and mechanistic stratifications, this analysis complements earlier bibliometric studies and highlights opportunities for global collaboration, disease diversification, and translational development of molecular glues.</p>","PeriodicalId":18876,"journal":{"name":"Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-025-04630-w","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Molecular glues are an emerging class of small molecules that reprogram protein-protein interactions (PPIs), often by recruiting E3 ubiquitin ligases to neosubstrates, leading to targeted protein degradation. This bibliometric analysis systematically maps the molecular glue research landscape between 2010 and 2024, using the Dimensions database and visualization tools (VOSviewer and Bibliometrix). After screening, a curated set of 2491 publications was analyzed to assess trends in annual growth, geographic distribution, institutional output, author networks, and thematic hotspots. Results show rapid post-2020 expansion, driven by advances in structural biology, chemoproteomics, and computational design. The USA and China dominate in both productivity and collaboration networks, with European nations acting as strategic bridges and emerging contributors such as India, Japan, and South Korea showing thematic specialization. Beyond oncology-the dominant field-applications are expanding into neurodegenerative, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. Distinctive features of this study include pharmacology-focused tagging of E3 ligases (e.g., CRBN, DCAF15, RNF114), neosubstrates (IKZF1/3, RBM39, BRD4), and translational signals (clinical-phase and patient-linked studies). By capturing 2024 publications and providing therapeutic and mechanistic stratifications, this analysis complements earlier bibliometric studies and highlights opportunities for global collaboration, disease diversification, and translational development of molecular glues.
期刊介绍：
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg''s Archives of Pharmacology was founded in 1873 by B. Naunyn, O. Schmiedeberg and E. Klebs as Archiv für experimentelle Pathologie und Pharmakologie, is the offical journal of the German Society of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für experimentelle und klinische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, DGPT) and the Sphingolipid Club. The journal publishes invited reviews, original articles, short communications and meeting reports and appears monthly. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg''s Archives of Pharmacology welcomes manuscripts for consideration of publication that report new and significant information on drug action and toxicity of chemical compounds. Thus, its scope covers all fields of experimental and clinical pharmacology as well as toxicology and includes studies in the fields of neuropharmacology and cardiovascular pharmacology as well as those describing drug actions at the cellular, biochemical and molecular levels. Moreover, submission of clinical trials with healthy volunteers or patients is encouraged. Short communications provide a means for rapid publication of significant findings of current interest that represent a conceptual advance in the field.
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