Miniproteins are a diverse group of protein scaffolds characterized by small (1-10 kDa) size, stability, and versatility in drug-like roles. Coming largely from native sources, they have been widely adopted into drug development pipelines. While their structures and capabilities are diverse, the approaches to their utilization share more similarities with each other than with more widely used modalities (e.g., antibodies or small molecules). In this review, we highlight recent advances in miniprotein-based approaches to otherwise poorly addressed clinical needs, including structure-based and functional characterization. We also summarize their unique screening strategies and pharmacology considerations. Through a greater understanding of the unique properties that make them attractive for drug design, miniproteins can be effectively utilized against targets that are intractable by other approaches.

中文翻译：

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微蛋白作为药物开发中的一种强大方式。

小蛋白是一组多样化的蛋白质支架，其特点是尺寸小（1-10 kDa）、稳定性和在药物样作用中的多功能性。它们主要来自本地资源，已被广泛采用到药物开发管道中。虽然它们的结构和能力是多种多样的，但它们的使用方法与更广泛使用的方式（例如抗体或小分子）相比，彼此之间有更多的相似之处。在这篇综述中，我们强调了基于微蛋白的方法在解决临床需求方面的最新进展，包括基于结构和功能的表征。我们还总结了他们独特的筛选策略和药理学考虑。通过更深入地了解使它们对药物设计具有吸引力的独特特性，