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Pre-clinical Evaluation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Acute Leukemia
10:49

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Published on: September 18, 2013

Smart drugs: tyrosine kinase inhibitors in cancer therapy

Laura K Shawver1, Dennis Slamon, Axel Ullrich

  • 1SUGEN, Inc., 230 East Grand Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.

Cancer Cell
|June 28, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Targeted cancer therapies, like Herceptin and Gleevec, show promise. Future "smart drugs" will revolutionize cancer treatment by building on lessons from early molecular oncology successes.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Targeted cancer therapies have emerged as a significant advancement in oncology.
  • Successes like Herceptin for breast cancer and Gleevec for leukemia demonstrate the efficacy of targeting specific molecular alterations.
  • Most current targeted drugs originated before the genomic era.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss the evolution of targeted cancer therapies from pregenomic to postgenomic approaches.
  • To highlight the potential of future
  • smart drugs
  • in fundamentally changing cancer treatment.
  • To emphasize the importance of learning from the clinical development of early targeted agents.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical development and regulatory approval of targeted cancer agents.
  • Analysis of the transition from pregenomic to postgenomic drug discovery in oncology.
  • Synthesis of lessons learned from the initial wave of targeted cancer therapeutics.

Main Results:

  • Validation of targeted therapy through clinical success of agents like Herceptin and Gleevec.
  • Anticipation of a new wave of sophisticated postgenomic "smart drugs" for diverse cancers.
  • Growing interest in targeted therapeutics across basic research, clinical practice, and patient care.

Conclusions:

  • Early successes in molecular oncology provide a foundation for future advancements.
  • Appreciating lessons from the first generation of targeted agents will accelerate the development of next-generation therapies.
  • Postgenomic
  • smart drugs
  • are poised to transform the landscape of cancer treatment.

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