Agents Targeting Apoptosis Show Promise in Early Trials

Extract

The molecular signaling pathways that control programmed cell death, or apoptosis, are often abnormal in cancer cells. Tumors frequently express an overabundance of proteins that promote cell survival by blocking death-inducing proteins. So even in the face of insults that can kill a healthy cell, such as radiation or chemotherapy, cancer cells persist.

To overcome this problem, researchers are developing agents that directly target steps in the apoptosis signaling pathways. Hints from early clinical trials suggest that such agents could be an addition to the anticancer armamentarium, although industry and academic researchers agree that they have a lot more to learn about how the signaling pathways work and how to use the new agents.

“I have been in this field for a long time, and for a long time we were on the fringe,” said Anthony W. Tolcher, M.D., director of clinical research at South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics in San Antonio. “Everyone was looking at signal transduction, and apoptosis pathways were largely ignored. But I think now at last we are starting to see [the importance of] some of this emerge. Many companies are starting to look at [the apoptosis] pathway, or pathways, as something worth investing resources in and develop targets in. I am much more encouraged than I was just a few years back when I thought we would be in the wilderness for many years to come.”