Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Assessment of Resistance to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors by an Interrogation of Signal Transduction Pathways by Antibody Arrays
07:42

Assessment of Resistance to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors by an Interrogation of Signal Transduction Pathways by Antibody Arrays

Published on: September 19, 2018

ERBB receptors and cancer: the complexity of targeted inhibitors

Nancy E Hynes1, Heidi A Lane

  • 1Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland. Hynes@fmi.ch

Nature Reviews. Cancer
|May 3, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ERBB2 are key in human cancers. Understanding their role and response mechanisms is vital for developing targeted cancer therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ERBB2 are receptor tyrosine kinases implicated in human cancers.
  • Aberrant expression or activation of EGFR and ERBB2 is common in epithelial tumors, influencing cancer development and progression.
  • These receptors are critical targets for cancer therapy, with numerous inhibitors available clinically.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss the clinical significance of EGFR and ERBB2 as therapeutic targets in cancer.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying patient response to therapies targeting these receptors.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical studies and molecular biology research.
  • Analysis of signaling pathways involving EGFR and ERBB2.
  • Examination of mechanisms of action for ERBB inhibitors.

Main Results:

  • EGFR and ERBB2 play crucial roles in the etiology and progression of various epithelial cancers.
  • Targeted inhibition of these receptors has proven effective in clinical settings.
  • Understanding molecular response mechanisms is key to optimizing treatment efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • EGFR and ERBB2 are significant clinical targets in oncology.
  • Further research into molecular mechanisms will improve targeted cancer therapy strategies.
  • Targeted therapies offer promising avenues for managing cancers driven by EGFR and ERBB2 alterations.

More Related Videos

A Real-time Potency Assay for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Targeting Solid and Hematological Cancer Cells08:46

A Real-time Potency Assay for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Targeting Solid and Hematological Cancer Cells

Published on: November 12, 2019

Deciphering the Structural Effects of Activating EGFR Somatic Mutations with Molecular Dynamics Simulation15:05

Deciphering the Structural Effects of Activating EGFR Somatic Mutations with Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Published on: May 20, 2020

Related Concept Videos

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors01:27

Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors

Enzyme-linked receptors are cell-surface receptors acting as an enzyme or associating with an enzyme intracellularly. They make excellent drug targets. Drugs can bind to the extracellular ligand-binding domain or directly affect their enzymatic domain and alter their activity.
Major types that are helpful drug targets include: