MEK Inhibition Synergizes with TYK2 Inhibitors in NF1-Associated Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors.

Purpose: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are aggressive sarcomas with limited treatment options and poor survival rates. About half of MPNST cases are associated with the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome. Overexpression of TYK2 occurs in the majority of MPNST, implicating TYK2 as a therapeutic target.

TYK2 in Cancer Metastases: Genomic and Proteomic Discovery.

Advances in genomic analysis and proteomic tools have rapidly expanded identification of biomarkers and molecular targets important to cancer development and metastasis. On an individual basis, personalized medicine approaches allow better characterization of tumors and patient prognosis, leading to more targeted treatments by detection of specific gene mutations, overexpression, or activity. Genomic and proteomic screens by our lab and others have revealed tyrosine kinase 2 () as an oncogene promoting progression and metastases of many types of carcinomas, sarcomas, and hematologic cancers.