NEW YORK: Drugs to treat cancer and Alzheimer’s disease usually target the active sites of specific protein molecules sustaining the disease. Traditional drug design views proteins as rigid 3-D objects with active sites consisting of surface-accessible “pockets” with a specific, well-defined structure. Traditional drug design involves finding small molecules with shapes that fit specifically into this pocket. A new study from University of Notre Dame researchers suggests that there are alternative approaches to targeting these proteins, a significant finding for future clinical applications.