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Target selection issues in drug discovery and development

E A Sausville1

  • 1Developmental Therapeutics Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA. esausville@umm.edu

Journal of Chemotherapy (Florence, Italy)
|February 4, 2005
PubMed

Insights

New cancer treatment targets can focus on mutated oncogenes, or explore ontogenic and pharmacological targets within the tumor microenvironment. Defining a therapeutic index is key for successful cancer therapy development.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Drug Discovery
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Traditional cancer treatments often target oncogenes mutated within tumors.
  • Alternative therapeutic strategies are needed to overcome treatment resistance and improve patient outcomes.
  • Novel targets may reside in molecules related to tissue of origin (ontogenic) or drug handling (pharmacological).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore novel target classes beyond mutated oncogenes for cancer therapy.
  • To identify strategies for targeting the tumor microenvironment.
  • To establish criteria for evaluating the therapeutic potential of new targets.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing and proposed cancer therapeutic targets.
  • Analysis of ontogenic and pharmacological target classes.
  • Conceptual framework for defining a therapeutic index for novel targets.

Main Results:

  • Identified ontogenic and pharmacological targets as promising avenues for cancer treatment.
  • Highlighted the importance of the tumor microenvironment as a therapeutic target.
  • Proposed the necessity of a defined therapeutic index assay for target validation.

Conclusions:

  • Cancer treatment strategies can be expanded by considering ontogenic, pharmacological, and tumor microenvironment targets.
  • A robust assay to define a therapeutic index is crucial for advancing novel cancer targets.
  • Further research into these alternative targets may lead to more effective cancer therapies.

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