ICL 12.2 Flashcards
what is precision medicine?
you want to know which specific mutations are in that patient
various actionable molecular targets against cancer - like you want to target a kinase or anything that helps the tumor cells keep replicating
mode of action of drugs against such targets
what should a cancer target?
it should target both the tumor and its microenvironment!
what are the key targets in cancer therapy?
- receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKSs)
- non-receptor tyrosine kinases
- G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)
- hormonal axis (estrogen, progesterone, prolactin and androgens)
- epigenetic targets
- cell cycle
- cellular immune system
what are stromo cells?
anything other than the tumor cells
they help the tumor cells to evade the chemotherapy
so the tumor is the tumor itself plus its microenvironment! you have to treat both parts
what are RTKs?
tyrosine kinase receptors at the plasma membrane
when they are mutated they become this kinase that is just always turned on
what is the most common GPCR?
CXCR4
tumor cells highjack this receptor and use it to metastasize and involved with hematological malignancies and solid tumors
it’s a chemokine receptor involved in metastasis
it’s a coreceptor for the HIV virus
what are tyrosine kinase receptors?
these are kinases that are activated by their respective ligands
they get phosphorylated on their C-terminal end and cause a phosphorylation cascade
they use ATP to become phosphorylated
in cancer, these receptors get mutated and are just constantly on causing uncontrolled cell proliferation
how do you inhibit tyrosine kinase receptors?
TKR get phosphorylated on their C-terminal end by ATP
we can design antagonists to compete with ATP for the same site - this is how you attack a tyrosine kinase receptors
long term though, there’s usually relapse and the TKIs don’t work forever
what are some examples of tyrosine kinase receptors?
VEGF**
EGF
IGF-1
NGF
PDGF
FGF
Eph
how do you neutralize the VEGF receptor?
VEGF is a tyrosine kinase receptor
you can neutralize the ligand in VEGF by using an antibody called MAB
MAB is a competitive antagonist and competes with the ligand to bind with VEGF receptor and neutralizes it
which drug neutralizes the PDGF receptor?
imatinib
PDGF is a tyrosine kinase receptor
what are the main pathways that get activated with a ligand binds to a tyrosine kinase receptor?
PA3 kinase
MEK/ERK pathways
these 2 pathways help with invasion, survival proliferation and metastasis of cancers
what does TKI stand for?
tyrosine kinase inhibitor
which TKIs target EGFR receptor?
- gefitinib
- erlotinib
EGFR is a tyrosine kinase receptor
what ligands bind to EGFR receptor?
- TGFα
- EGF
- AREG
which monoclonal antibodies target the EGFR receptor?
- cetuximab
- panitumumab
mAbs are laboratory-produced molecules engineered to serve as substitute antibodies that can restore, enhance or mimic the immune system’s attack on cancer cells
what does TNBC stand for?
triple negative breast cancer
what is TNBC?
tissue normally expressed estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors but in TNBC, none of those are there!
the tumor tissue doesn’t have any of these receptors which means you don’t have the usual targets to go after
so now you have to use targeted pathways to go after specific things
if you do have any of these receptors, then prognosis is better and survival is higher
what’s the prognosis for TNBC?
pretty lethal…
what does EGFR stand for?
epidermal growth factor receptor
what are the two ways you can treat an overactive EGFR?
- monoclonal antibodies
- small molecule inhibitors (SMI)
**TKIs are SMIs
how do TKIs work?
they competitively inhibit the binding of ATP to the kinase
so the kinase can’t get phosphorylated and cause a phosphorylation cascade
which cancers can be treated using erlotinib and gefitinib?
breast cancer, colon cancer, and head and neck cancer
erlotinib and gefitinib are TKIs for EGFR
what is osimertinib used for?
it’s an SMI used against EGFR T790M mutation in non-small cell lung cancer
the drug won’t bind to the wild type receptor, instead it’ll bind to the mutated EGFR binding pocket