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Updated: Jun 25, 2025
Quantitation of Intra-peritoneal Ovarian Cancer Metastasis
Published on: July 18, 2016
PROTACs in Ovarian Cancer: Current Advancements and Future Perspectives
Makenzie Vorderbruggen1,2, Carlos A Velázquez-Martínez3, Amarnath Natarajan1,2
1Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6805, USA.
Abstract:
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy. The majority of patients diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer will relapse, at which point additional therapies can be administered but, for the most part, these are not curative. As such, a need exists for the development of novel therapeutic options for ovarian cancer patients. Research in the field of targeted protein degradation (TPD) through the use of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) has significantly increased in recent years. The ability of PROTACs to target proteins of interest (POI) for degradation, overcoming limitations such as the incomplete inhibition of POI function and the development of resistance seen with other inhibitors, is of particular interest in cancer research, including ovarian cancer research. This review provides a synopsis of PROTACs tested in ovarian cancer models and highlights PROTACs characterized in other types of cancers with potential high utility in ovarian cancer. Finally, we discuss methods that will help to enable the selective delivery of PROTACs to ovarian cancer and improve the pharmacodynamic properties of these agents.
Insights
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) using proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) offers a novel therapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer. This review explores PROTACs in ovarian cancer models and discusses strategies for selective delivery and improved efficacy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of gynecologic cancer mortality.
- Advanced ovarian cancer frequently relapses, with current therapies often lacking curative potential.
- Novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed for ovarian cancer treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) investigated in ovarian cancer models.
- To highlight PROTACs from other cancers with potential ovarian cancer applications.
- To discuss advancements in selective delivery and pharmacodynamics of PROTACs for ovarian cancer.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of PROTACs in ovarian cancer research.
- Analysis of PROTACs studied in other cancer types for potential ovarian cancer utility.
- Exploration of strategies for targeted delivery and improved pharmacodynamics.
Main Results:
- Synopsis of current PROTACs tested in ovarian cancer models.
- Identification of promising PROTAC candidates from other malignancies.
- Discussion of enabling technologies for PROTACs in ovarian cancer.
Conclusions:
- PROTACs represent a promising targeted protein degradation approach for ovarian cancer.
- Further research into selective delivery and optimized pharmacodynamics is crucial for clinical translation.
- PROTACs hold potential to overcome limitations of existing ovarian cancer therapies.
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