BRAF/MEK: The science of targeting one oncogenic pathway

Posted by rob on April 1, 2011 under Uncategorized | Comments are off for this article

In theory, it sounds straightforward: Find genetic mutations essential to the growth and survival of the cancer, identify specific inhibitors in the lab, and validate them in human studies. In practice, it is often a complicated path from mutation discovery to a viable targeted therapeutic agent, said Levi Garraway, MD, PhD (DFCI). Several years ago, for example, failure of the first drug in clinical trials designed to block molecular drivers of metastatic melanoma made the BRAF mutation seem a dubious target. And despite last year?s striking results in early phase trials, it seems clear that inhibiting mutant BRAF activity alone cannot eradicate melanoma tumors nor even hold them back for long. ?The good news is that the other kinases in the pathway remain a hot area for drug discovery,…
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