Targeting cancer with small molecule kinase inhibitors

J Zhang, PL Yang, NS Gray - Nature reviews cancer, 2009 - nature.com
J Zhang, PL Yang, NS Gray
Nature reviews cancer, 2009nature.com
Deregulation of kinase activity has emerged as a major mechanism by which cancer cells
evade normal physiological constraints on growth and survival. To date, 11 kinase inhibitors
have received US Food and Drug Administration approval as cancer treatments, and there
are considerable efforts to develop selective small molecule inhibitors for a host of other
kinases that are implicated in cancer and other diseases. Herein we discuss the current
challenges in the field, such as designing selective inhibitors and developing strategies to …
Abstract
Deregulation of kinase activity has emerged as a major mechanism by which cancer cells evade normal physiological constraints on growth and survival. To date, 11 kinase inhibitors have received US Food and Drug Administration approval as cancer treatments, and there are considerable efforts to develop selective small molecule inhibitors for a host of other kinases that are implicated in cancer and other diseases. Herein we discuss the current challenges in the field, such as designing selective inhibitors and developing strategies to overcome resistance mutations. This Review provides a broad overview of some of the approaches currently used to discover and characterize new kinase inhibitors.
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