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Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
Published on: December 11, 2016
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Drug Repurposing for Retinoblastoma: Recent Advances
Kamakshi Dandu1,2, Prathap R Kallamadi3, Suman S Thakur1
1CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Habsiguda, Hyderabad 500 007, India.
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
|January 20, 2019
Summary
Drug repurposing offers a faster alternative to develop new treatments for retinoblastoma, a childhood eye cancer. This review explores existing drugs, like calcium channel blockers and anti-inflammatories, for potential use against this malignancy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Retinoblastoma is a primary intraocular malignancy in early childhood.
- Current treatments (chemotherapy, focal therapies, enucleation) have significant side and late effects.
- There is a critical need for safer and more effective retinoblastoma therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review drug repurposing strategies for retinoblastoma treatment.
- To explore existing drugs approved for other conditions as potential retinoblastoma therapies.
- To identify promising drug candidates for future repurposing efforts.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies investigating drug repurposing for retinoblastoma.
- Categorization of repurposed drugs by their original therapeutic class (e.g., calcium channel blockers, NSAIDs, antidiabetics).
- Discussion of the potential of various drug classes and novel candidates.
Main Results:
- Several drug classes, including calcium channel blockers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cardenolides, antidiabetics, antibiotics, and antimalarials, have been investigated for retinoblastoma treatment.
- Drug repurposing presents a faster and more cost-effective alternative to conventional drug development.
- Various existing medications show promise for treating retinoblastoma.
Conclusions:
- Drug repurposing is a viable and promising strategy to identify novel, safer treatments for retinoblastoma.
- Exploring existing drug approvals can accelerate the development of new therapeutic options for this childhood eye cancer.
- Further research into specific drug candidates and combinations is warranted to optimize retinoblastoma treatment.
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