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Telomerase as drug and drug target for the treatment of thyroid cancer

M A Zeiger1, A K Meeker

  • 1The Department of Surgery, Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA. mzeiger@jhmi.edu

Current Drug Targets. Immune, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
|September 24, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Telomerase is activated in cancer cells but not normal cells, making it a target for cancer therapies. This review explores targeting telomerase, including antisense, immunotherapy, and promoter-directed therapy, for thyroid cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Telomerase is active in nearly all cancer cells, remaining quiescent in most normal somatic cells.
  • This differential activity presents telomerase as a promising target for cancer therapy.
  • Targeting telomerase offers a strategy for selective cancer treatment with potentially fewer side effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review therapeutic strategies targeting telomerase for cancer treatment.
  • To discuss the potential application of these telomerase-targeting approaches in thyroid cancer.
  • To evaluate different methods for inhibiting or utilizing telomerase activity in oncology.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing in vitro and in vivo studies on telomerase-targeting therapies.
  • Analysis of antisense strategies against telomerase.
  • Examination of immunotherapy approaches targeting the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) subunit.
  • Discussion of telomerase promoter-driven cytotoxic therapy.

Main Results:

  • Several therapeutic strategies targeting telomerase have been developed and tested.
  • Antisense, hTERT-directed immunotherapy, and promoter-driven therapies are viable approaches.
  • These methods show potential for application in treating various cancers, including thyroid cancer.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting telomerase is a rational therapeutic strategy for cancer, particularly thyroid cancer.
  • The reviewed approaches (antisense, immunotherapy, promoter-directed therapy) offer promising avenues for clinical development.
  • Further research is warranted to optimize these strategies for effective and safe cancer treatment.

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