mTOR Inhibitors at a Glance

Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a conserved threonine and serine protein kinase that was identified more than two decades ago as the target of immunosuppressive drug rapamycin. Since then considerable amount of information has been learned about the function of this kinase. It is now well-established that mTOR plays a pivotal role in governing cell growth and proliferation, hence making mTOR a therapeutic target for disease conditions caused by deregulated cell proliferation, such as cancer. In the past decade, numerous mTOR inhibitors have been developed and many are currently in clinical trials for cancer treatment. This commentary is to provide a brief summary of these mTOR inhibitors.