Advancing personalized cancer therapy: Onko_DrugCombScreen-a novel Shiny app for precision drug combination screening

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Identifying genotype-guided drug combinations for specific cancer subtypes is crucial for improving treatment efficacy and reducing toxicity.
• The vast number of potential drug combinations presents a significant challenge in cancer therapy research.
• Precision medicine requires advanced tools to navigate combinatorial complexity and identify optimal therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate Onko_DrugCombScreen, an innovative computational tool for identifying significant drug combination candidates in cancer therapy.
• To advance precision medicine by enabling the discovery of targeted drug combinations for specific molecular subtypes.
• To streamline the process of drug combination discovery using integrated data analysis and visualization.

Main Methods:

• Onko_DrugCombScreen integrates drug knowledgebase analysis with statistical methodologies and data visualization.
• The tool employs a comparative cohort approach to identify significant drug combinations.
• Inspired by the molecular tumor board process, it synergizes diverse analytical techniques.

Main Results:

• Onko_DrugCombScreen successfully identified established and potential novel drug combinations in a TCGA-BRCA case study.
• The tool demonstrated proficiency in discerning clinically relevant drug combinations for specific cancer types.
• Validation confirmed the tool's capability to enhance drug combination discovery for personalized cancer treatment.

Conclusions:

• Onko_DrugCombScreen represents a significant advancement in personalized cancer treatment by facilitating the discovery of promising drug combinations.
• The tool enhances the capability for drug combination discovery, paving the way for more precise and potent combination therapies.
• Onko_DrugCombScreen supports the development of advanced, genotype-guided cancer treatments.