Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Eunkyeong Jung, Soonyoung Kwon, Nanhee Song, Nuri Kim, Hanui Jo, Manseok Yang, Sangjun Park, Chunho Kim, Dongwon Lee
Summary: Cancer cells possess antioxidants that hinder the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT). Additionally, upregulation of pro-angiogenic factors during PDT-induced hypoxia is another challenge. To overcome these obstacles, tumor targeted redox-regulating and antiangiogenic phototherapeutic nanoassemblies (tRAPs) were developed. tRAPs effectively depleted intracellular GSH and suppressed VEGF, enhancing the therapeutic outcomes of PDT.
Review
Oncology
Jiajian Shi, Yuchen Chen, Chentai Peng, Linwu Kuang, Zitong Zhang, Yangkai Li, Kun Huang
Summary: Lung cancer has one of the highest incidence and mortality rates among all cancers worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accounting for 85% of all lung cancer cases, is a major threat to human health. Recent advances in targeted therapies against driver mutations and epigenetic alterations have benefited NSCLC patients. Druggable driver mutations, including EGFR, KRAS, MET, HER2, ALK, ROS1, RET, and BRAF, have been identified in over a quarter of NSCLC patients. Highly selective mutant targeting inhibitors, such as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors and KRAS inhibitors, have been extensively studied and used in clinical treatments, leading to improved overall survival rates for NSCLC patients. However, drug resistance remains a challenge, and various approaches are being developed to overcome it, including inhibitors targeting new mutants and combination therapy with other pathway inhibitors. Epigenetics-based therapy is also emerging as a promising approach, as epigenetic regulators like histone deacetylases and non-coding RNA play crucial roles in cancer development and drug resistance. Combining epigenetics-based therapeutic strategies with targeted drugs has shown great clinical potential, with several agents targeting epigenetic changes currently under investigation in preclinical and clinical studies.
Review
Oncology
Neal S. Akhave, Amadeo B. Biter, David S. Hong
Summary: KRAS mutations drive cancer growth, but the development of resistance to targeted therapies remains a challenge. Understanding the mechanisms of resistance and developing combination strategies are crucial for long-term disease control.
Review
Oncology
N. Coleman, L. Hong, J. Zhang, J. Heymach, D. Hong, X. Le
Summary: This article discusses MET amplification as a driver of acquired resistance in NSCLC, exploring the biology behind this mechanism and summarizing clinical data including proposed combination strategies for overcoming acquired MET amplification-dependent resistance.
Article
Oncology
Yunlong Cui, Liwei Sun, Hailong Wang, Zhenzhen Zhang, Hongxia Dai, Pengfei Liu
Summary: The study aimed to identify gene mutations, high frequency mutations, and driver genes in liver cancer, as well as the marketed approved drugs targeting these genes, providing evidence for targeted therapy. Multiple mutations and driver genes were identified in liver cancer patients, and pathway enrichment analysis revealed potential therapeutic targets. The findings contribute to personalized treatment for liver cancer.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Boon Lim, Yutong Yin, Hua Ye, Zhanfeng Cui, Antonis Papachristodoulou, Wei E. Huang
Summary: Advances in synthetic biology have enabled the reprogramming of bacteria to specifically target tumors and release anticancer drugs in a controlled manner. SimCells, chromosome-free bacteria controlled by gene circuits, have been engineered to display antibodies on their surface and effectively bind and induce death of cancer cells expressing specific biomarkers. These findings highlight the potential of SimCells for targeted cancer therapy and the application of synthetic biology in medicine.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rolando D. Z. Lyles, Maria J. Martinez, Benjamin Sherman, Stephan Schurer, Kerry L. Burnstein
Summary: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard treatment for high risk and advanced prostate cancer, but it often leads to disease progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) that are incurable. Finding effective targeted therapies for advanced prostate cancer is challenging due to acquired resistance to existing treatments and the heterogeneity of the disease. In this study, researchers developed an adaptable semi-automated protocol to identify potential prostate cancer therapeutics. The protocol optimized cell growth and utilized automation to enhance reproducibility and efficiency, combining live-cell imaging and viability assays to evaluate drug efficacy in vitro.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Xinchen Lu, Jinmei Jin, Ye Wu, Xiaoxia Liu, Xiaohui Liang, Jiayi Lin, Qingyan Sun, Jiangjiang Qin, Weidong Zhang, Xin Luan
Summary: This review discusses the critical role of RAS gene mutations in fatal cancers and explores the potential of PROTAC strategy as a powerful tool for handling undruggable targets. PROTAC is expected to become a feasible strategy to overcome the bottleneck of classical RAS inhibitors.
MEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kaili Lin, Lijuan Huang, Yu Zhang, Minshan Chen, Zhan Li, Ken Kin Lam Yung, Sha Lv, Qianrong Pan, Weisong Zhang, Jijun Fu, Wanshan Li, Qiudi Deng
Summary: Angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry play crucial roles in the growth and metastasis of NSCLC. Current angiogenesis inhibitors mainly target endothelial cell-mediated angiogenesis, leaving tumor cell-mediated VM unaddressed. Scoparasin B, a compound derived from a marine fungus, showed strong inhibition effects on both angiogenesis and VM in vitro and in vivo. It effectively suppressed tumor growth, angiogenesis, and VM in a xenograft model, likely by reducing VEGF-A levels and inhibiting the VEGF-A/VEGFR2 signaling pathway. These findings highlight the potential of scoparasin B as a novel angiogenesis inhibitor and suggest the exploration of more natural product-based angiogenesis inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Aaron C. Tan, Daniel S. W. Tan
Summary: The therapeutic landscape of non-small-cell lung cancer is undergoing significant changes with the shift from histology-based classification to molecularly defined subsets. Targeted therapies for specific driver mutations such as EGFR, ALK, and ROS1 have shown promising results, and there is a growing list of approved therapies for other mutations. The importance of diagnostic molecular testing, optimal sequencing of therapies, application of targeted therapies in early-stage disease, and the impact of genomic mutations on targeted therapy efficacy are important areas of research.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Regan Raines, Ian McKnight, Hunter White, Kaitlyn Legg, Chan Lee, Wei Li, Peter H. U. Lee, Joon W. Shim
Summary: Mutations of ion channels and G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can lead to cardiovascular diseases. This study sorted the mutability of human genes associated with ion channels and GPCRs based on their proximity to telomeres and high adenine and thymine content. The analysis found that GPCR genes have a lower mutability than ion channel genes, and the targeted GPCR genes are shorter in length. The study suggests that matching rate analysis can be used to compare the relative mutability of GPCRs and ion channels, and analysis on chromosomes reveals unique characteristics of GPCRs.
Article
Oncology
Gabriele Picco, Chiara M. Cattaneo, Esmee J. van Vliet, Giovanni Crisafulli, Giuseppe Rospo, Sarah Consonni, Sara F. Vieira, Inigo Sanchez Rodriguez, Carlotta Cancelliere, Ruby Banerjee, Luuk J. Schipper, Daniele Oddo, Krijn K. Dijkstra, Jindrich Cinatl, Martin Michaelis, Fengtang Yang, Federica Di Nicolantonio, Andrea Sartore-Bianchi, Salvatore Siena, Sabrina Arena, Emile E. Voest, Alberto Bardelli, Mathew J. Garnett
Summary: For patients with mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) colorectal cancer, targeted therapy and chemotherapy have limited effectiveness due to resistance and toxicities, but the majority of patients still exhibit dependency on WRN, making it a promising therapeutic target.
Review
Immunology
Can Xu, Menglin Xiao, Xiang Li, Lei Xin, Jia Song, Qi Zhan, Changsheng Wang, Qisong Zhang, Xiaoye Yuan, Yanli Tan, Chuan Fang
Summary: The glioma tumor microenvironment and the role of glioma-associated macrophages (GAMs) in tumor development and response to therapies are reviewed. GAMs, derived from brain-resident microglia or bone marrow-derived monocytes, exert immune functions and affect various biological functions of gliomas. The plasticity of M1 and M2 macrophages under malignant conditions is also discussed, highlighting the potential therapeutic targets of GAMs in glioma therapy.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Samantha Gogola, Michael Rejzer, Hisham F. F. Bahmad, Ferial Alloush, Yumna Omarzai, Robert Poppiti
Summary: The standard of care therapy for early prostate cancer includes external beam radiation therapy, brachytherapy, radical prostatectomy, active surveillance, or a combination approach. Androgen deprivation therapy is considered for advanced disease. However, many patients eventually develop castration-resistant prostate cancer, leading to the development of targeted therapies, including prostate cancer stem cell-targeted therapies. In this review, the mechanisms of action of PCSC-targeted therapies are summarized and future development is discussed.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Xin Sun, Kai Li, Rui Zhao, Ye Sun, Jie Xu, Zi-Yang Peng, Run-Dong Song, Hong Ren, Shou-Ching Tang
Summary: The study revealed that smoking stimulated oncogenic gene mutations, with EGFR, KRAS, and TP53 being the most frequently mutated genes. The N stage of patients with E/K/P mutations affected survival prognosis, while radiation did not benefit patients in stage II/III and did not extend survival in patients with mutation burdens.
