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Updated: Dec 3, 2025
Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
Published on: December 11, 2016
Drug Repurposing in Oncology: Current Evidence and Future Direction
Zhenzhan Zhang1, Jianguang Ji2, Hao Liu1
1Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Background:
Drug repurposing, the application of known drugs and compounds with a primary non-oncology purpose, might be an attractive strategy to offer more effective treatment options to cancer patients at a low cost and reduced time.
Methods:
This review described a total of 10 kinds of non-oncological drugs from more than 100 mechanical studies as well as evidence from population-based studies. The future direction of repurposed drug screening is discussed by using patient-derived tumor organoids.
Results:
Many old drugs showed previously unknown effects or off-target effects and can be intelligently applied for cancer chemoprevention and therapy. The identification of repurposed drugs needs to combine evidence from mechanical studies and population-based studies. Due to the heterogeneity of cancer, patient-derived tumor organoids can be used to screen the non-oncological drugs in vitro.
Conclusion:
These identified old drugs could be repurposed in oncology and might be added as adjuvants and finally benefit patients with cancers.
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