Picking the point of inhibition: a comparative review of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors

R Dienstmann, J Rodon, V Serra, J Tabernero - Molecular cancer …, 2014 - AACR
R Dienstmann, J Rodon, V Serra, J Tabernero
Molecular cancer therapeutics, 2014AACR
The frequent activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in cancer, and its crucial role in cell
growth and survival, has made it a much desired target for pharmacologic intervention.
Following the regulatory approval of the rapamycin analogs everolimus and temsirolimus,
recent years have seen an explosion in the number of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)
pathway inhibitors under clinical investigation. These include: ATP-competitive, dual
inhibitors of class I PI3K and mTORC1/2;“pan-PI3K” inhibitors, which inhibit all four isoforms …
Abstract
The frequent activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in cancer, and its crucial role in cell growth and survival, has made it a much desired target for pharmacologic intervention. Following the regulatory approval of the rapamycin analogs everolimus and temsirolimus, recent years have seen an explosion in the number of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway inhibitors under clinical investigation. These include: ATP-competitive, dual inhibitors of class I PI3K and mTORC1/2; “pan-PI3K” inhibitors, which inhibit all four isoforms of class I PI3K (α, β, δ, γ); isoform-specific inhibitors of the various PI3K isoforms; allosteric and catalytic inhibitors of AKT; and ATP-competitive inhibitors of mTOR only (and thus mTORC1 and mTORC2). With so many agents in development, clinicians are currently faced with a wide array of clinical trials investigating a multitude of inhibitors with different mechanisms of action, being used both as single agents and in combination with other therapies. Here, we provide a review of the literature, with the aim of differentiating the genomic contexts in which these various types of inhibitors may potentially have superior activity. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(5); 1021–31. ©2014 AACR.
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