Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
08:01
The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay
Published on: October 27, 2014
111.5K
Why Is Wnt/β-Catenin Not Yet Targeted in Routine Cancer Care?
Auriane de Pellegars-Malhortie1, Laurence Picque Lasorsa1, Thibault Mazard1,2
1IRCM (Montpellier Cancer Research Institute), University of Montpellier, Inserm, ICM (Montpellier Regional Cancer Institute), 34298 Montpellier, CEDEX 5, France.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 27, 2024
Summary
Targeting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway offers new cancer treatment options. However, balancing anti-cancer effects with toxicity remains a challenge for Wnt/β-catenin inhibitors.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Drug Development
Background:
- Limited therapeutic options hinder cancer cure rates.
- The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is crucial for cancer but also tissue homeostasis.
- Targeting this pathway presents a promising avenue for novel cancer therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review clinical trials of Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitors.
- To analyze their anti-tumor activity and adverse events.
- To explore strategies for improving their therapeutic benefit-risk profile.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of clinical trial data.
- Analysis of anti-tumor efficacy and toxicity profiles.
- Examination of emerging strategies to mitigate side effects.
Main Results:
- Wnt/β-catenin inhibitors show promise but are not yet standard care.
- Therapeutic index is limited by toxicity to healthy tissues.
- Strategies to enhance selectivity and reduce side effects are under development.
Conclusions:
- Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibition is a developing area in cancer therapy.
- Improving the therapeutic index is critical for clinical success.
- Further research into targeted delivery and combination therapies is needed.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Catenins
2.3K
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...
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...
2.3K
01:41Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
7.3K
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...
7.3K
02:54Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
8.7K
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...
8.7K
01:19Cadherins in Tissue Organization
3.0K
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...
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
3.0K
01:20The Retinoblastoma Gene
4.1K
Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
4.1K
02:57Targeted Cancer Therapies
7.5K
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...
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
7.5K