2. Academic Validation
  3. Autophagy in Cancer: Regulation by Small Molecules

Autophagy in Cancer: Regulation by Small Molecules

  • Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2018 Dec;39(12):1021-1032. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2018.10.004.
Allison S Limpert 1,  Lester J Lambert 1,  Nicole A Bakas 2,  Nicole Bata 2,  Sonja N Brun 3,  Reuben J Shaw 3,  Nicholas D P Cosford 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 NCI Designated Cancer Center, Sanford-Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; These authors contributed equally.
  • 2 NCI Designated Cancer Center, Sanford-Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
  • 3 Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
  • 4 NCI Designated Cancer Center, Sanford-Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA. Electronic address: ncosford@sbpdiscovery.org.
PMID: 30454769 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2018.10.004
Abstract

During times of stress, Autophagy is a cellular process that enables cells to reclaim damaged components by a controlled recycling pathway. This mechanism for cellular catabolism is dysregulated in Cancer, with evidence indicating that Cancer cells rely on Autophagy in the hypoxic and nutrient-poor microenvironment of solid tumors. Mounting evidence suggests that Autophagy has a role in the resistance of tumors to standard-of-care (SOC) therapies. Therefore, there is significant interest in the discovery of small molecules that can safely modulate Autophagy. In this review, we describe recent advances in the identification of new pharmacological compounds that modulate Autophagy, with a focus on their mode of action, value as probe compounds, and validation as potential therapeutics.

Keywords

autophagosome; autophagy; cancer; kinase; oncology.

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