Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 29, 2025

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay
08:01

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay

Published on: October 27, 2014

112.6K

Advances in targeting the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway in cancer

Avradip Chatterjee1, Sayan Paul2, Bharti Bisht3

  • 1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.

Drug Discovery Today
|July 12, 2021
PubMed

Insights

WNT/β-catenin signaling is crucial for development and homeostasis but drives cancer when abnormal. This review covers WNT/β-catenin inhibitors, their clinical progress, and novel AI-driven strategies for cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • WNT/β-catenin signaling regulates fundamental physiological processes like development and tissue repair.
  • Dysregulation of this pathway is implicated in various cancers, making it a key therapeutic target.
  • Inhibiting WNT/β-catenin signaling has demonstrated promising anti-cancer effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway and its role in cancer.
  • To discuss current and emerging WNT/β-catenin inhibitors, including their molecular targets and interactions.
  • To explore novel therapeutic strategies and AI-assisted approaches for targeting this pathway in cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway.
  • Analysis of existing and investigational WNT/β-catenin inhibitors.
  • Exploration of artificial intelligence applications in drug development for this pathway.

Main Results:

  • The WNT/β-catenin pathway is a validated target in oncology.
  • Several inhibitors are available, with many undergoing clinical trials.
  • AI and technology-based strategies offer new avenues for therapeutic development.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting the WNT/β-catenin pathway holds significant therapeutic potential for cancer.
  • Continued research into inhibitors and novel strategies is crucial for clinical translation.
  • AI integration may accelerate the development of effective WNT/β-catenin-targeted cancer therapies.
Keywords:
Artificial intelligenceCancerChallengesClinical trialsDrug designInhibitorsNatural productsNuclear transportPhase transitionPhosphorylationProtein-small molecule interactionTargeting protein-protein interactionWNT/β-catenin signaling

More Related Videos

Reconstitution Of β-catenin Degradation In Xenopus Egg Extract09:41

Reconstitution Of β-catenin Degradation In Xenopus Egg Extract

Published on: June 17, 2014

12.3K
Characterization of Cell Membrane Extensions and Studying Their Roles in Cancer Cell Adhesion Dynamics08:11

Characterization of Cell Membrane Extensions and Studying Their Roles in Cancer Cell Adhesion Dynamics

Published on: March 26, 2018

8.5K

Related Concept Videos

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
9.4K
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
7.8K
Catenins01:23

Catenins

Catenins are characterized by multiple binding domains and dynamic structures that allow them to function as linker proteins in cell junction complexes. All catenins, except α-catenin, contain a characteristic protein sequence called the armadillo repeat and are therefore also called armadillo proteins.
Catenins in Cell Junctions
Catenins bind to cell adhesion molecules such as cadherins and link them to different cytoskeletal proteins depending on the type of cell junction. At the...
2.6K
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
8.0K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
4.0K
Cadherins in Tissue Organization01:19

Cadherins in Tissue Organization

The cadherins are a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules comprising over 180 variants, with specific tissues expressing a particular combination of cadherin types. Cadherins generally exhibit homophilic binding; i.e., cadherins on one cell bind to cadherins of the same or closely related type on another cell. Thus, cells of the same type have a specific affinity to bind to each other and sort themselves into clusters to form tissues.
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
3.4K