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Targeting survivin in cancer

Dario C Altieri1

  • 1Prostate Cancer Discovery and Development Program, The Wistar Institute Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. daltieri@wistar.org

Cancer Letters
|March 14, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Survivin, a protein found in human tumors, has multiple functions. Despite progress and clinical trials, few survivin antagonists are available, necessitating new drug development approaches.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • Survivin is a protein with numerous functions implicated in various human tumors.
  • Extensive research has elucidated survivin's roles in cellular networks and its presence in cancer.
  • Over 4000 citations in Medline highlight significant global research interest in survivin.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the progress in understanding survivin biology and its therapeutic implications.
  • To highlight the transition of survivin research from basic science to clinical applications.
  • To identify the challenges and opportunities in developing survivin-based cancer therapeutics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of survivin research and clinical trial data.
  • Analysis of survivin's known functions and cellular network integration.
  • Evaluation of the current landscape of survivin antagonists in cancer therapy.

Main Results:

  • Significant advancements have been made in understanding survivin's diverse biological functions.
  • Survivin's role has been mapped in numerous human tumor types.
  • Several survivin-based therapeutics have entered clinical trials, demonstrating therapeutic potential.

Conclusions:

  • A deeper understanding of survivin biology has successfully translated into clinical investigations.
  • The limited number of approved survivin antagonists underscores a need for innovative drug development strategies.
  • Fully realizing survivin's potential as an oncology target requires a more flexible approach to therapeutic development.

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