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Author Spotlight: A Selective Luciferase-Based Assay for Monitoring ATG4B 27 Activity in Cells
Published on: June 30, 2023
Challenges and Therapeutic Opportunities of Autophagy in Cancer Therapy
Valdenizia R Silva1, Sara P Neves1, Luciano de S Santos1
1Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (IGM-FIOCRUZ/BA), Salvador 40296-710, Brazil.
Abstract:
Autophagy is a physiological cellular process that is crucial for development and can occurs in response to nutrient deprivation or metabolic disorders. Interestingly, autophagy plays a dual role in cancer cells-while in some situations, it has a cytoprotective effect that causes chemotherapy resistance, in others, it has a cytotoxic effect in which some compounds induce autophagy-mediated cell death. In this review, we summarize strategies aimed at autophagy for the treatment of cancer, including studies of drugs that can modulate autophagy-mediated resistance, and/or drugs that cause autophagy-mediated cancer cell death. In addition, the role of autophagy in the biology of cancer stem cells has also been discussed.
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