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Implementation of In Vitro Drug Resistance Assays: Maximizing the Potential for Uncovering Clinically Relevant Resistance Mechanisms
08:46

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Anticipating designer drug-resistant cancer cells

Mark L Frangione1, John H Lockhart1, Daniel T Morton1

  • 1Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.

Drug Discovery Today
|February 21, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Combining anticancer designer drugs with FDA-approved drugs can minimize cancer cell resistance. This strategy anticipates alternative signaling pathways, crucial for effective cancer treatment development.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • Development of anticancer designer drugs requires strategies to overcome drug resistance.
  • Cancer cells can develop resistance through alternative signaling pathways.
  • Simultaneous drug combinations are essential for effective cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review alternative signaling pathways for recent anticancer drugs.
  • To introduce a Python-based software for identifying resistance pathways.
  • To guide the design of early clinical trials for combination anticancer therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic identification of signaling pathways using original Python-based software.
  • Analysis of known cancer signaling pathways and drug resistance mechanisms.
  • Review of FDA-approved drugs for potential combination therapies.

Main Results:

  • Examples of alternative signaling pathways facilitating resistance to anticancer drugs are presented.
  • The developed software systematically identifies potential resistance pathways.
  • A web-based tool (http://www.alternativesignalingpathways.com) is available for pathway assessment.

Conclusions:

  • Anticipating and targeting alternative signaling pathways is key to overcoming drug resistance.
  • Combination therapy using new designer drugs with FDA-approved agents can enhance efficacy.
  • The developed software and web tool aid in designing effective clinical trials for cancer treatment.

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