Targeting the MAPK Pathway in RAS Mutant Cancers.

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med

Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California 94080.

Published: November 2018

Despite decades of extensive drug discovery efforts, there are currently no targeted therapies approved to treat KRAS mutant cancers. In this review, we highlight the challenges and opportunities in targeting KRAS mutant tumors through inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling with conformation-specific kinase inhibitors. Through structural analysis and mechanistic studies with BRAF and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitors, we describe how kinase-dependent and -independent functions of MAPK signaling components regulate KRAS-driven tumorigenesis and how these insights can be used to treat RAS mutant cancers with small molecule kinase inhibitors.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6211377PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a031492DOI Listing

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