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A Second WNT for Old Drugs: Drug Repositioning against WNT-Dependent Cancers

Kamal Ahmed1, Holly V Shaw2, Alexey Koval3

  • 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1011, Switzerland. kamal.ahmed@unil.ch.

Cancers
|July 19, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Aberrant WNT signaling drives cancer. Repurposing existing drugs like aspirin offers a promising strategy for developing new targeted cancer therapies, with 16 compounds showing potential.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Aberrant WNT signaling is implicated in various cancers, including colon, breast, and liver.
  • Targeting the WNT pathway is a crucial goal for developing novel anti-cancer therapies.
  • Currently, no WNT signaling-directed drugs are available, and few candidates are in clinical trials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review drug repositioning strategies for WNT-targeting anti-cancer therapies.
  • To highlight existing drugs with WNT pathway activity for potential cancer treatment.
  • To discuss advances, challenges, and future directions in developing repositioned drugs for WNT-dependent cancers.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating drug repositioning for WNT-targeting cancer therapies.
  • Identification of existing human-use drugs with demonstrated WNT pathway activity.
  • Analysis of the therapeutic potential and challenges associated with these repositioned drugs.

Main Results:

  • Sixteen human-use drug compounds have been identified with WNT pathway activity.
  • Examples include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., aspirin), clofazimine, and suramin.
  • These drugs show promise for repositioning against various WNT-dependent cancers.

Conclusions:

  • Drug repositioning is a viable and promising approach for developing WNT-targeting cancer therapies.
  • Existing drugs like aspirin, clofazimine, and suramin represent potential candidates for treating WNT-dependent cancers.
  • Further research and clinical trials are needed to advance these repositioned drugs into cancer treatment.
Keywords:
WNT pathwayapproved drugsrepositioning

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