Kinase Inhibitors Flashcards
How may Kinases are ther ein the human genome and how many families?
500 kinases
About 20 families
Why are kinases difficult to target?
Highly conserved catalytic domain amongst families (lack of specificity)
Inhibitors have to compete with high ATP concentration [2mM] so high doses would be needed
Kinases inhibition would produce many ADRs due to lack of specificity
Why is targetting kinases important?
Mutant kinases can become oncogenes and drive cancer = clinical need for specifically targeted kinase inhibitors
Name a disease which is has targeted drug therapy and what is this drug target?
Chronic Myeloid leukaemia targets the Bcr-Abl fusion protein which has tyrosine kinases activity
What is CML?
Myeloproliferative disorder of haemopoetic stem cells
CML blood film will have many granulocytes
What is some epidemiological data on CML?
1-2 per 100,000 person years
Median age of onset = 53
15-30% of all leukaemia
Incidence increases with age
Describe the clinical corse of CML
Chronic phase
Accelerated phase
Blast crisis
What are some features of the chronic phase?
85% of people diagnosed here
Lasts 4-5 years
Normally differentiated granulocytes but excess of them
What are some symptoms which occur is the accelerated phase?
Spenomegaly
Leukocytosis
Fever (infections)
Throbocytopenia or cytosis
How long does the accelerated phase occur for?
6-9 months
What are some blood characteristics on the accelerated phase?
15-29% blasts in blood
>20% basophils
What is the mean survival rate for the blast crisis?
3-6 months
What has happened to the granulocytes in blast phase?
They are non functioning poorly differentiated) with many molecular abnormalities within their DNA
What are the blood characteristics of the blast phase?
(Greater than or equal to) 30% blasts in blood
Symptoms of blast phase?
Fever, night sweats, bone pain, weight loss
What is the characteristic molecular abnormality in CML
Presence of Philadelphia chromosome (95% of cases)
What is the Philadelphia chromosome?
Reciprocal translocation between chromosome 9 and 22
T(9;22)(q34;11)
What genes are located on chromosome 9 and 22 which are important for CML?
9 = Abl
22=Bcr
What does translocation of part of 9 to 22 do?
Causes the juxtaposition of abl and Bcr on chromosome 22
Forms fusion protein Bcr-Abl when transcription and translation occurs