Ruilin Wu , Hong Zhu , Qiaojun He , Tao Yuan , Bo Yang
{"title":"Metabolic reprogramming in KRAS-mutant cancers: Proven targetable vulnerabilities and potential therapeutic strategies","authors":"Ruilin Wu , Hong Zhu , Qiaojun He , Tao Yuan , Bo Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104220","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104220","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Kras</em> (Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog), one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes in the human genome, is considered ‘untargetable’. Although specific KRAS<sup>G12C</sup> inhibitors have been developed, their overall impact is limited, highlighting the need for further research on targeting KRAS-mutant cancers. Metabolic abnormalities are key hallmarks of cancer, with KRAS-driven tumors exhibiting traits like glycolysis upregulation, glutamine addiction, lipid droplet accumulation, highly active macropinocytosis, and metabolic reprogramming-associated tumor microenvironment remodeling. Targeting these unique metabolic characteristics offers a promising strategy for new cancer treatments. This review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of the metabolic network in KRAS-mutated tumor cells, discusses potential targetable vulnerabilities, and outlines clinical developments in relevant therapies, while also addressing challenges to improve strategies against these aggressive cancers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104220"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142556738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Taskeen F. Docrat , Ali O.E. Eltahir , Ahmed A. Hussein , Jeanine.L. Marnewick
{"title":"Green synthesis of metal nanocarriers: A perspective for targeting glioblastoma","authors":"Taskeen F. Docrat , Ali O.E. Eltahir , Ahmed A. Hussein , Jeanine.L. Marnewick","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain cancer, is challenging to treat owing to the difficulty of crossing the blood–brain barrier, high recurrence rates and significant mortality. This review highlights the potential of green synthesis methods in developing metal nanoparticles (MNPs) as a sustainable solution for drug delivery systems targeting glioblastoma. We explore the unique properties and modes of action of MNPs synthesised through eco-friendly processes by focusing on their bioavailability and precision in brain targeting, and discuss the potential of MNPs to target glioblastoma at the molecular level. Integrating green synthesis into cancer therapeutics represents a novel paradigm shift towards treatments with higher efficacy and lower environmental impact, offering hope in the fight against glioblastoma.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104219"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142542504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How to nurture natural products to create new therapeutics: Strategic innovations and molecule-to-medicinal insights into therapeutic advancements","authors":"Ayan Acharya, Mithilesh Nagpure, Nibedita Roy, Vaibhav Gupta, Soumyadeep Patranabis, Sankar K. Guchhait","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104221","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104221","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Natural products (NPs) are privileged structures interacting with biomacromolecular targets and exhibiting biological effects important for human health. In this review, we have presented NP-inspired strategic innovations that are promising for addressing preclinical and clinical challenges. An analysis of ‘molecule-to-medicinal’ properties for improvement of P3 and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) profiles has been illustrated. The strategies include chemical evolution through knowledge of structure–medicinal properties, truncation of NPs to avoid molecular obesity, pseudo-NPs, selection of common structural features of NPs, medicinophore installation, scaffold hopping, and induced proximity. Molecule-to-medicinal property analysis can guide the development of ‘nature-to-new’ chemical therapeutics. Coupled with scientific advances and innovations in instrumentation, these strategies hold great potential for enhancing drug design and discovery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104221"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142556737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Elevating life science R&D success with AI: a framework","authors":"Ben Sidders","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104211","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104211","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104211"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142491946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Drugs from drugs: New chemical insights into a mature concept","authors":"Eloy Lozano Baró , Federica Catti , Carolina Estarellas , Ouldouz Ghashghaei , Rodolfo Lavilla","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104212","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104212","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing new drugs from marketed ones is a well-established and successful approach in drug discovery. We offer a unified view of this field, focusing on the new chemical aspects of the involved approaches: (a) chemical transformation of the original drugs (late-stage modifications, molecular editing), (b) prodrug strategies, and (c) repurposing as a tool to develop new hits/leads. Special focus is placed on the molecular structure of the drugs and their synthetic feasibility. The combination of experimental advances and new computational approaches, including artificial intelligence methods, paves the way for the evolution of the drugs from drugs concept.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104212"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142491945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ting Xu , Shuang Wang , Tingting Ma , Yawen Dong , Charles R. Ashby Jr , Ge-Fei Hao
{"title":"The identification of essential cellular genes is critical for validating drug targets","authors":"Ting Xu , Shuang Wang , Tingting Ma , Yawen Dong , Charles R. Ashby Jr , Ge-Fei Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104215","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104215","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurately identifying biological targets is crucial for advancing treatment options. Essential genes, vital for cell or organism survival, hold promise as potential drug targets in disease treatment. Although many studies have sought to identify essential genes as therapeutic targets in medicine and bioinformatics, systematic reviews on their relationship with drug targets are relatively rare. This work presents a comprehensive analysis to aid in identifying essential genes as potential targets for drug discovery, encompassing their relevance, identification methods, successful case studies, and challenges. This work will facilitate the identification of essential genes as therapeutic targets, thereby boosting new drug development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104215"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142454529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ex vivo permeability study of poorly soluble drugs across gastrointestinal membranes: acceptor compartment media composition","authors":"Andrejs Sitovs , Valentyn Mohylyuk","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104214","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104214","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Ex vivo</em> drug permeability testing across gastrointestinal (GI) membranes is crucial in drug discovery and oral drug delivery. It is a reliable method for drugs with good solubility, but it poses challenges for poorly soluble drugs, which are common in development pipelines today. Although enabling formulations increase the apparent solubility in the GI compartment (dissolution vessel or permeation chamber’s donor compartment), maintaining solubilized drug in the acceptor compartment during <em>ex vivo</em> testing remains largely unresolved. This review compiles and critically evaluates the diverse compositions of acceptor media used in <em>ex vivo</em> permeability studies for poorly soluble drugs, highlighting this significant yet underexplored aspect of pharmaceutical science. An algorithm is proposed for selecting solubility-enhancing additives for the acceptor media in <em>ex vivo</em> permeability studies of poorly soluble drugs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104214"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142454525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lisa Bailey (Managing Director Insights and Head of DEI Strategy, Trinity Life Sciences)
{"title":"The Challenges and Opportunities in Clinical Trial Diversity","authors":"Lisa Bailey (Managing Director Insights and Head of DEI Strategy, Trinity Life Sciences)","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104210","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104210","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104210"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142454528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jim F. Zinken , Anna M.G. Pasmooij , Antwan G.H. Ederveen , Jarno Hoekman , Lourens T. Bloem
{"title":"Environmental risk assessment in the EU regulation of medicines for human use: an analysis of stakeholder perspectives on its current and future role","authors":"Jim F. Zinken , Anna M.G. Pasmooij , Antwan G.H. Ederveen , Jarno Hoekman , Lourens T. Bloem","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104213","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104213","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An environmental risk assessment (ERA) is mandatory for all applications for marketing authorisation of medicines in the European Union (EU). We investigated stakeholder perspectives on the role of the ERA in EU regulation of medicines for human use. We discuss the current position of the ERA and the current conduct and assessment of the ERA, such as the required expertise, data, and studies, its applicability to generic drugs, and its use in regulatory decision-making. We also discuss future perspectives, including extension of the ERA to cover antimicrobial resistance, improved risk mitigation, impact on ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) status, and incorporation into reimbursement considerations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104213"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142454524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bilal Nehmeh , Joseph Rebehmed , Riham Nehmeh , Robin Taleb , Elias Akoury
{"title":"Unlocking therapeutic frontiers: harnessing artificial intelligence in drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases","authors":"Bilal Nehmeh , Joseph Rebehmed , Riham Nehmeh , Robin Taleb , Elias Akoury","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) pose serious healthcare challenges with limited therapeutic treatments and high social burdens. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into drug discovery has emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges. This review explores the application of AI techniques to unravel therapeutic frontiers for NDs. We examine the current landscape of AI-driven drug discovery and discuss the potentials of AI in accelerating the identification of novel therapeutic targets on ND research and drug development, optimization of drug candidates, and expediating personalized medicine approaches. Finally, we outline future directions and challenges in harnessing AI for the advancement of therapeutics in this critical area by emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and ethical considerations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 12","pages":"Article 104216"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142454530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}