In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches for Screening the Potential of Anticancer Agents: A Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Anticancer drug development is a complex, multi-stage process involving in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies.
• Assessing drug toxicity in animal models is crucial to avoid adverse effects during preclinical research.
• Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have explored various strategies for cancer management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To consolidate diverse in vivo and in vitro assay methodologies for evaluating cancer hallmarks.
• To provide comprehensive information on target-based and cell-based screening approaches for novel anticancer drugs.
• To facilitate a shift from compound-oriented to target-oriented drug selection in preclinical research.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing in vitro and in vivo assay methods for cancer research.
• Focus on cell-based assay rationalization and its applications.
• Analysis of target-based screening in the context of molecular targeting.

Main Results:

• Detailed information on target-based and cell-based screening for new anticancer drugs.
• Emphasis on the transition towards target-oriented drug selection.
• Exploration of advanced rationalization and broad applications of cell-based assays.

Conclusions:

• Selection methodologies are vital for identifying tumor-specific anticancer agents.
• Cell-based assays offer advanced rationalization and diverse applications in drug discovery.
• The review supports a more targeted approach to preclinical anticancer drug screening.