GITR domain inside CAR co-stimulates activity of CAR-T cells against cancer.

T cells expressing Chimeric antigen receptors or CAR-T cells are used as a novel treatment against hematological and solid cancers. In this report, we designed CAR with glucocorticoid-induced TNFR-related protein (GITR) co-stimulatory domain to study its ability to co-activate CAR-T cells. EGFR-GITR-CD3 CAR-T cells were cytotoxic against EGFR-positive: pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells but not against EGFR-negative cancer cells.

FLAG-tagged CD19-specific CAR-T cells eliminate CD19-bearing solid tumor cells and .

Autologous T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) specific for CD19 have demonstrated remarkable efficacy as therapeutics for B cell malignancies. In the present study, we generated FLAG-tagged CD19-specific CAR-T cells (CD19-FLAG) and compared them to their non-tagged counterparts for their effects on solid and hematological cancer cells and . For solid tumors, we used HeLa cervical carcinoma cells engineered to overexpress CD19 (HeLa-CD19), and for hematological cancer we used Raji Burkitt's lymphoma cells, which endogenously express CD19.

Efficacy of focal adhesion kinase inhibition in non-small cell lung cancer with oncogenically activated MAPK pathways.

Background: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is overexpressed in many types of tumours, including lung cancer. Y15, a small molecule which inhibits Y397 FAK autophosphorylation, decreases growth of human neuroblastoma, breast and pancreatic cancers. In this study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo effects of Y15, and the underlying mechanism on non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Synthesis and bioactivity of a Goralatide analog with antileukemic activity.

Natural tetrapeptide Goralatide (AcSDKP) is a selective inhibitor of primitive haematopoietic cell proliferation. It is not stable in vivo and decomposes within 4.5min when applied to live cells.

Defective apical extrusion signaling contributes to aggressive tumor hallmarks.

When epithelia become too crowded, some cells are extruded that later die. To extrude, a cell produces the lipid, Sphingosine 1-Phosphate (S1P), which activates S1P₂ receptors in neighboring cells that seamlessly squeeze the cell out of the epithelium. Here, we find that extrusion defects can contribute to carcinogenesis and tumor progression.

High focal adhesion kinase expression in breast carcinoma is associated with lymphovascular invasion and triple-negative phenotype.

Background: Focal adhesion Kinase (FAK) is a nonreceptor protein tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed in tumors and plays a significant role in tumor survival and metastasis. The purpose of the study is to perform correlation of FAK expression with patient prognostic factors using tissue microarrays (TMA) samples.

Methods: We analyzed FAK expression by immunohistochemical staining in 196 breast primary tumor samples from stage II-IV patients and in 117 metastatic tissues matched to the primary tumors using TMA that were stained with FAK monoclonal antibody.

FAK inhibition with small molecule inhibitor Y15 decreases viability, clonogenicity, and cell attachment in thyroid cancer cell lines and synergizes with targeted therapeutics.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is up-regulated in thyroid cancer and small molecule FAK scaffolding inhibitor, Y15, was shown to decrease cancer growth in vitro and in vivo. We sought to test the effectiveness of Y15 in thyroid cancer cell lines, profile gene expression with Y15 compared with clinical trial FAK inhibitor PF-04554878, and use Y15 in novel drug combinations. Cell viability was decreased in a dose dependent manner in four thyroid cancer cell lines with Y15 and with higher doses in PF-04554878.

The prognostic significance of focal adhesion kinase expression in stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.

Introduction: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a significant role in cancer cell survival signaling and is overexpressed in various malignancies, including lung cancer. Previous studies suggest that FAK overexpression is an independent factor predicting poor prognosis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study is to confirm these findings specifically in stage I NSCLC.

Gene Expression Profiling Identifies Important Genes Affected by R2 Compound Disrupting FAK and P53 Complex.

Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor kinase that plays an important role in many cellular processes: adhesion, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis and survival. Recently, we have shown that Roslin 2 or R2 (1-benzyl-15,3,5,7-tetraazatricyclo[3.3.

Targeting FAK in human cancer: from finding to first clinical trials.

It is twenty years since Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) was found to be overexpressed in many types of human cancer. FAK plays an important role in adhesion, spreading, motility, invasion, metastasis, survival, angiogenesis, and recently has been found to play an important role as well in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer stem cells and tumor microenvironment. FAK has kinase-dependent and kinase independent scaffolding, cytoplasmic and nuclear functions.

Targeting the p53 pathway.

This article summarizes data on translational studies to target the p53 pathway in cancer. It describes the functions of the p53 and Mdm-2 signaling pathways, and discusses current therapeutic approaches to target p53 pathways, including reactivation of p53. In addition, direct interaction and colocalization of the p53 and focal adhesion kinase proteins in cancer cells have been demonstrated, and different approaches to target this interaction are reviewed.

Disruption of focal adhesion kinase and p53 interaction with small molecule compound R2 reactivated p53 and blocked tumor growth.

Background: Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is a 125 kDa non-receptor kinase that plays a major role in cancer cell survival and metastasis.

Methods: We performed computer modeling of the p53 peptide containing the site of interaction with FAK, predicted the peptide structure and docked it into the three-dimensional structure of the N-terminal domain of FAK involved in the complex with p53. We screened small molecule compounds that targeted the site of the FAK-p53 interaction and identified compounds (called Roslins, or R compounds) docked in silico to this site.

Focal adhesion kinase autophosphorylation inhibition decreases colon cancer cell growth and enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) increasingly has been implicated in cancer growth and progression. 1,2,4,5-Benzenetetraamine tetrahydrochloride (Y15) is a small molecule FAK inhibitor that blocks the Y397 autophosphorylation site. FAK inhibitor, Y15 decreased Y397 FAK in different colon cancer cells lines in a dose-dependent manner.

MiR-138 and MiR-135 directly target focal adhesion kinase, inhibit cell invasion, and increase sensitivity to chemotherapy in cancer cells.

Focal Adhesion Kinase is a 125 kDa non-receptor kinase and overexpressed in many types of tumors. Recently, short noncoding RNAs, called microRNAs have been discovered as regulators of gene expression mainly through binding to the untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA. In this report we show that MiR-138 and MiR-135 down-regulated FAK expression in cancer cells.

Focal adhesion kinase regulates expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) in cancer cells.

Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) plays an important role in cancer cell survival. Previous microarray gene profiling study detected inverse regulation between expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and FAK, where down-regulation of FAK by siRNA in MCF-7 cells caused up-regulation of TXNIP mRNA level, and in contrast up-regulation of doxycyclin- induced FAK caused repression of TXNIP. In the present report, we show that overexpression of FAK in MCF-7 cells repressed TXNIP promoter activity.

Pharmacologic blockade of FAK autophosphorylation decreases human glioblastoma tumor growth and synergizes with temozolomide.

Malignant gliomas are characterized by aggressive tumor growth with a mean survival of 15 to 18 months and frequently developed resistance to temozolomide. Therefore, strategies that sensitize glioma cells to temozolomide have a high translational impact. We have studied focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a tyrosine kinase and emerging therapeutic target that is known to be highly expressed and activated in glioma.

FAK and HAS inhibition synergistically decrease colon cancer cell viability and affect expression of critical genes.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), hyaluronan (HA), and hyaluronan synthase-3 (HAS3) have been implicated in cancer growth and progression. FAK inhibition with the small molecule inhibitor Y15 decreases colon cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. HAS3 inhibition in colon cancer cells decreases FAK expression and activation, and exogenous HA increases FAK activation.

FAK and Nanog cross talk with p53 in cancer stem cells.

This review is focused on the role of Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) signaling in cancer stem cells. The recent data demonstrate the important role of FAK in cancer stem cell proliferation, differentiation, motility, and invasion. We showed recently that the transcription factor Nanog binds the FAK promoter and up-regulates FAK expression, and that FAK binds Nanog and phosphorylates it.

Nanog increases focal adhesion kinase (FAK) promoter activity and expression and directly binds to FAK protein to be phosphorylated.

Nanog and FAK were shown to be overexpressed in cancer cells. In this report, the Nanog overexpression increased FAK expression in 293, SW480, and SW620 cancer cells. Nanog binds the FAK promoter and up-regulates its activity, whereas Nanog siRNA decreases FAK promoter activity and FAK mRNA.

A small molecule focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor, targeting Y397 site: 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3, 5, 7-triaza-1-azoniatricyclo [3.3.1.1(3,7)]decane; bromide effectively inhibits FAK autophosphorylation activity and decreases cancer cell viability, clonogenicity and tumor growth in vivo.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a protein tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed in most solid types of tumors and plays an important role in the survival signaling. Recently, we have developed a novel computer modeling combined with a functional assay approach to target the main autophosphorylation site of FAK (Y397). Using these approaches, we identified 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3, 5, 7-triaza-1-azoniatricyclo [3.

Mitoxantrone targets the ATP-binding site of FAK, binds the FAK kinase domain and decreases FAK, Pyk-2, c-Src, and IGF-1R in vitro kinase activities.

Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor kinase that is overexpressed in many types of tumors and plays a key role in cell adhesion, spreading, motility, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and survival. Recently, FAK has been proposed as a target for cancer therapy, and we performed computer modeling and screening of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) small molecule compounds database to target the ATP-binding site of FAK, K454. More than 140,000 small molecule compounds were docked into the crystal structure of the kinase domain of FAK in 100 different orientations using DOCK5.

A small-molecule inhibitor, 5'-O-tritylthymidine, targets FAK and Mdm-2 interaction, and blocks breast and colon tumorigenesis in vivo.

Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is overexpressed in many types of tumors and plays an important role in survival. We developed a novel approach, targeting FAK-protein interactions by computer modeling and screening of NCI small molecule drug database. In this report we targeted FAK and Mdm-2 protein interaction to decrease tumor growth.