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Targeted therapy is a treatment that targets a specific molecule involved in a disease. This is often a protein or part of a protein. Proteins perform most of the functions in the body. Targeted therapies may block or slow down the protein from doing its job. Many common drugs are targeted therapies. One example is protein pump inhibitors. These drugs work by blocking protein pumps in the stomach. They treat acid reflux and other stomach acid conditions. Sometimes, antibodies can be targeted therapies. Doctors prescribe them to treat some forms of arthritis and other immune diseases. They block the effect of an inflammation protein. Targeted therapies may also be RNA molecules. They stop the cell from making a given protein. For example, an RNA molecule reduces the amount of LDL made by the body. LDL is the "bad" cholesterol. This works well for people with a type of high cholesterol. Targeted therapies fight many other diseases too, like cancer, heart disease and infections
Credits: All images used with permission This work was partially funded by a grant from the IMLS (LG-06-13-0180-13).