The anti-hypertensive drug prazosin inhibits glioblastoma growth via the PKCδ-dependent inhibition of the AKT pathway.

EMBO Mol Med. 2016 05;8(5):511-26

Authors: Assad Kahn S, Costa SL, Gholamin S, Nitta RT, Dubois LG, Fève M, Zeniou M, Coelho PL, El-Habr E, Cadusseau J, Varlet P, Mitra SS, Devaux B, Kilhoffer MC, Cheshier SH, Moura-Neto V, Haiech J, Junier MP, Chneiweiss H

Abstract
A variety of drugs targeting monoamine receptors are routinely used in human pharmacology. We assessed the effect of these drugs on the viability of tumor-initiating cells isolated from patients with glioblastoma. Among the drugs targeting monoamine receptors, we identified prazosin, an α1- and α2B-adrenergic receptor antagonist, as the most potent inducer of patient-derived glioblastoma-initiating cell death. Prazosin triggered apoptosis of glioblastoma-initiating cells and of their differentiated progeny, inhibited glioblastoma growth in orthotopic xenografts of patient-derived glioblastoma-initiating cells, and increased survival of glioblastoma-bearing mice. We found that prazosin acted in glioblastoma-initiating cells independently from adrenergic receptors. Its off-target activity occurred via a PKCδ-dependent inhibition of the AKT pathway, which resulted in caspase-3 activation. Blockade of PKCδ activation prevented all molecular changes observed in prazosin-treated glioblastoma-initiating cells, as well as prazosin-induced apoptosis. Based on these data, we conclude that prazosin, an FDA-approved drug for the control of hypertension, inhibits glioblastoma growth through a PKCδ-dependent mechanism. These findings open up promising prospects for the use of prazosin as an adjuvant therapy for glioblastoma patients.

PMID: 27138566 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Repurposing of Aspirin and Ibuprofen as Candidate Anti-Cryptococcus Drugs.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016 Aug;60(8):4799-808

Authors: Ogundeji AO, Pohl CH, Sebolai OM

Abstract
The usage of fluconazole and amphotericin B in clinical settings is often limited by, among other things, drug resistance development and undesired side effects. Thus, there is a constant need to find new drugs to better manage fungal infections. Toward this end, the study described in this paper considered the repurposing of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and ibuprofen as alternative drugs to control the growth of cryptococcal cells. In vitro susceptibility tests, including a checkerboard assay, were performed to assess the response of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii to the above-mentioned anti-inflammatory drugs. Next, the capacity of these two drugs to induce stress as well as their mode of action in the killing of cryptococcal cells was determined. The studied fungal strains revealed a response to both aspirin and ibuprofen that was dose dependent, with ibuprofen exerting greater antimicrobial action. More importantly, the MICs of these drugs did not negatively (i) affect growth or (ii) impair the functioning of macrophages; rather, they enhanced the ability of these immune cells to phagocytose cryptococcal cells. Ibuprofen was also shown to act in synergy with fluconazole and amphotericin B. The treatment of cryptococcal cells with aspirin or ibuprofen led to stress induction via activation of the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway, and cell death was eventually achieved through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated membrane damage. The presented data highlight the potential clinical application of aspirin and ibuprofen as candidate anti-Cryptococcus drugs.

PMID: 27246782 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Repurposing the anti-epileptic drug sodium valproate as an adjuvant treatment for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

PLoS One. 2017;12(5):e0176855

Authors: Killick-Cole CL, Singleton WGB, Bienemann AS, Asby DJ, Wyatt MJ, Boulter LJ, Barua NU, Gill SS

Abstract
Targeting epigenetic changes in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) may provide a novel treatment option for patients. This report demonstrates that sodium valproate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), can increase the cytotoxicity of carboplatin in an additive and synergistic manner in DIPG cells in vitro. Sodium valproate causes a dose-dependent decrease in DIPG cell viability in three independent ex vivo cell lines. Furthermore, sodium valproate caused an increase in acetylation of histone H3. Changes in cell viability were consistent with an induction of apoptosis in DIPG cells in vitro, determined by flow cytometric analysis of Annexin V staining and assessment of apoptotic markers by western blotting. Subsequently, immunofluorescent staining of neuronal and glial markers was used to determine toxicity in normal rat hippocampal cells. Pre-treatment of cells with sodium valproate enhanced the cytotoxic effects of carboplatin, in three DIPG cell lines tested. These results demonstrate that sodium valproate causes increased histone H3 acetylation indicative of HDAC inhibition, which is inversely correlated with a reduction in cell viability. Cell viability is reduced through an induction of apoptosis in DIPG cells. Sodium valproate potentiates carboplatin cytotoxicity and prompts further work to define the mechanism responsible for the synergy between these two drugs and determine in vivo efficacy. These findings support the use of sodium valproate as an adjuvant treatment for DIPG.

PMID: 28542253 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Quantitative structure-activity relationship and molecular docking revealed a potency of anti-hepatitis C virus drugs against human corona viruses.

J Med Virol. 2017 Jun;89(6):1040-1047

Authors: Elfiky AA, Mahdy SM, Elshemey WM

Abstract
A number of human coronaviruses (HCoVs) were reported in the last and present centuries. Some outbreaks of which (eg, SARS and MERS CoVs) caused the mortality of hundreds of people worldwide. The problem of finding a potent drug against HCoV strains lies in the inability of finding a drug that stops the viral replication through inhibiting its important proteins. In spite of its limited efficacy and potential side effects, Ribavirin is extensively used as a first choice against HCoVs. Therefore, scientists reverted towards the investigation of different drugs that can more specifically target proteins. In this study, four anti-HCV drugs (one approved by FDA and others under clinical trials) are tested against HCoV polymerases. Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) and molecular docking are both used to compare the performance of the selected nucleotide inhibitors to their parent nucleotides and Ribavirin. Both QSAR and molecular docking showed that IDX-184 is superior compared to Ribavirin against MERS CoV, a result that was also reported for HCV. MK-0608 showed a performance that is comparable to Ribavirin. We strongly suggest an in vitro study on the potency of these two drugs against MERS CoV.

PMID: 27864902 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Drug Repurposing to treat Asthma and Allergic Disorders: Progress and Prospects.

Allergy. 2017 Sep 07;:

Authors: Kruse RL, Vanijcharoenkarn K

Abstract
Allergy and atopic asthma have continued to become more prevalent in modern society despite the advent of new treatments, representing a major global health problem. Common medications such as antihistamines and steroids may have undesirable long-term side effects and lack efficacy in some resistant patients. Biologic medications are increasingly given to treat resistant patients, but they can represent high costs, complex dosing and management, and are not widely available around the world. The field needs new, cheap and convenient treatment options in order to bring better symptom relief to patients. Beyond continued research and development of new drugs, a focus on drug repurposing could alleviate this problem by repositioning effective and safe small molecule drugs from other fields of medicine and applying them toward the treatment of asthma and allergy. Herein, preclinical models, case reports, and clinical trials of drug repurposing efficacy in allergic disease are reviewed. Novel drugs are also proposed for repositioning based on their mechanism of action to treat asthma and allergy. Overall, drug repurposing could become increasingly important as a way of advancing allergy and atopic asthma treatment, filling a need in treatment for patients today. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID: 28880396 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Identification of resveratrol analogs as potent anti-dengue agents using a cell-based assay.

J Med Virol. 2017 Mar;89(3):397-407

Authors: Han YS, Penthala NR, Oliveira M, Mesplède T, Xu H, Quan Y, Crooks PA, Wainberg MA

Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) causes a variety of difficult-to-treat diseases that threaten almost half of the world's population. Currently, no effective vaccine or antiviral therapy is available. We have examined a series of synthetic resveratrol analogs to identify potential anti-DENV agents. Here, we demonstrate that two resveratrol analogs, PNR-4-44 and PNR-5-02, possess potent anti-DENV activity with EC50 values in the low nanomolar range. These two resveratrol analogs were shown to mainly target viral RNA translation and viral replication, but PNR-5-02 is also likely to target cellular factors inside host cells. Although the precise molecular mechanism(s) mediating anti-DENV activities have not been elucidated, further structure-guided design might lead to the development of newer improved resveratrol derivatives that might have therapeutic value. J. Med. Virol. 89:397-407, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID: 27509184 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Role of ion channels in natural killer cell function towards cancer.

Discov Med. 2017 Jun;23(129):353-360

Authors: Redmond J, O'Rilley D, Buchanan P

Abstract
Progression of cancer to advanced states is associated with treatment resistance and metastatic spread -- features that are linked to poor prognosis and patient mortality. Investigations into potential new treatments to reduce cancer spread are ongoing, with immunotherapy generating much interest. Natural killer (NK) cells are part of the body's innate immune system and are known for their ability to target and lyse cancer cells. Ion channels have previously been linked to the growth and development of tumors, but recent research suggests that these channels may also serve to alter immune cell functioning. This review examines the current understanding as to the role of ion channels in NK cells and how manipulation of these channels may increase NK effectiveness in targeting and removing cancer cells. With a large number of existing FDA-approved drugs targeting ion channels, potential exists for drug repurposing in order to improve immunotherapy and thus patient outcomes.

PMID: 28877446 [PubMed - in process]

Candidiasis and the Impact of Flow Cytometry on Antifungal Drug Discovery.

Expert Opin Drug Discov. 2017 Sep 06;:

Authors: Ku TSN, Bernardo S, Walraven CJ, Lee SA

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Invasive candidiasis continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality as well as substantial health care costs nationally and globally. One of the contributing factors is the development of resistance to antifungal agents that are already in clinical use. Moreover, there are known treatment limitations with all of the available antifungal agents. Since traditional techniques in novel drug discovery are time consuming, high-throughput screening using flow cytometry presents as a potential tool to identify new antifungal agents that would be useful in the management of these patients. Areas covered: In this review, the authors discuss the use of automated high-throughput screening assays based upon flow cytometry to identify potential antifungals from a library comprised of a large number of bioactive compounds. They also review studies that employed the use of this research methodology that has identified compounds with antifungal activity. Expert opinion: High-throughput screening using flow cytometry has substantially decreased the processing time necessary for screening thousands of compounds, and has helped enhance our understanding of fungal pathogenesis. Indeed, the authors see this technology as a powerful tool to help scientists identify new antifungal agents that can be added to the clinician's arsenal in their fight against invasive candidiasis.

PMID: 28876963 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Repositioning drugs for rare immune diseases: hopes and challenges for a precision medicine.

Curr Med Chem. 2017 Aug 29;:

Authors: Valencic E, Smid A, Jakopin Z, Tommasini A, Mlinaric-Rascan I

Abstract
Human primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) are a large group of rare diseases and are characterized by a great genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. A large subset of PIDs is genetically defined, which has a crucial impact for the understanding of the molecular basis of disease and the development of precision medicine. Discovery and development of new therapies for rare diseases has long been de-privileged due to the length and cost of the processes involved. Interest has increased due to stimulatory regulatory and supportive reimbursement environments enabling viable business models. Advancements in biomedical and computational sciences enable the development of rational, designed approaches for identification of novel indications of already approved drugs allowing faster delivery of new medicines. Drug repositioning is based either on clinical analogies of diseases or on understanding of the molecular mode of drug action and mechanisms of the disease. All of these are the basis for the development of precision medicine.

PMID: 28875839 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Immune Cell Metabolism in Tumor Microenvironment.

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;1011:163-196

Authors: Li Y, Wan YY, Zhu B

Abstract
Tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed of tumor cells, immune cells, cytokines, extracellular matrix, etc. The immune system and the metabolisms of glucose, lipids, amino acids, and nucleotides are integrated in the tumorigenesis and development. Cancer cells and immune cells show metabolic reprogramming in the TME, which intimately links immune cell functions and edits tumor immunology. Recent findings in immune cell metabolism hold the promising possibilities toward clinical therapeutics for treating cancer. This chapter introduces the updated understandings of metabolic reprogramming of immune cells in the TME and suggests new directions in manipulation of immune responses for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

PMID: 28875490 [PubMed - in process]

Past, Current, and Future Developments of Therapeutic Agents for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection.

J Med Chem. 2017 Aug 10;60(15):6461-6479

Authors: Pei Y, Wang C, Yan SF, Liu G

Abstract
For decades, treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been relying on interferon (IFN)-based therapies and nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NAs) that selectively target the viral polymerase reverse transcriptase (RT) domain and thereby disrupt HBV viral DNA synthesis. We have summarized here the key steps in the HBV viral life cycle, which could potentially be targeted by novel anti-HBV therapeutics. A wide range of next-generation direct antiviral agents (DAAs) with distinct mechanisms of actions are discussed, including entry inhibitors, transcription inhibitors, nucleoside/nucleotide analogues, inhibitors of viral ribonuclease H (RNase H), modulators of viral capsid assembly, inhibitors of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) secretion, RNA interference (RNAi) gene silencers, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and natural products. Compounds that exert their antiviral activities mainly through host factors and immunomodulation, such as host targeting agents (HTAs), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, and Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, are also discussed. In this Perspective, we hope to provide an overview, albeit by no means being comprehensive, for the recent development of novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of chronic HBV infection, which not only are able to sustainably suppress viral DNA but also aim to achieve functional cure warranted by HBsAg loss and ultimately lead to virus eradication and cure of hepatitis B.

PMID: 28383274 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Drug repurposing strategy against Trypanosoma cruzi infection: in vitro and in vivo assessment of the activity of metronidazole in mono- and combined therapy.

Biochem Pharmacol. 2017 Sep 01;:

Authors: Simões-Silva MR, De Araújo JS, Oliveira GM, Demarque KC, Peres RB, D'Almeida-Melo I, Batista DGJ, Da Silva CF, Cardoso-Santos C, Da Silva PB, Batista MM, Bahia MT, Soeiro MNC

Abstract
Metronidazole (Mtz) is a commercial broad-spectrum nitroimidazolic derivative with relevant antimicrobial activity and relative safety profile. Therefore, it is fair to consider Mtz a candidate for drug repurposing for other neglected conditions such as Chagas disease (CD), a parasitic pathology caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. CD is treated only with benznidazole (Bz) and nifurtimox, both introduced in clinics decades ago despite important limitations, including low efficacy on the later disease stage (chronic form) and severe side effects. New cheap and fast alternative treatments for CD are needed, thus the repurposing of Mtz was assessed in vitro and in vivo in mono- and combined therapy. In vitro assays demonstrated EC50 > 200 µM for Mtz, while for Bz the values ranged from 2.51 µM (intracellular forms) to 11.5 µM (bloodstream trypomastigotes). When both drugs were combined in fixed-ratio proportions, Mtz promoted Bz potency (lower EC50 values). In vivo toxicity assays for Mtz in mice showed no adverse effects neither histopathological alterations up to 2000 mg/kg. Regarding experimental T.cruzi infection, Bz 100 mg/kg suppressed parasitemia while Mtz (up to 1000 mg/kg) in monotherapy did not, but prolonged animal survival at 250 and 500 regimen doses. The combination of both drugs (Bz 10 + Mtz 250) prevented mortality (70%) besides protected against electric cardiac alterations triggered by the parasite infection. Although not able to reduce parasite load, the combination therapy prevented animal mortality; this was possibly due to a protection of the electric cardiac physiology that is normally altered in experimental infection of T. cruzi. It also suggested that the interaction with Mtz could have improved the pharmacokinetics of Bz. Our study emphasizes the importance of drug repurposing and combined therapy for CD to contribute to alternative therapies for this neglected and silent pathology.

PMID: 28870526 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Finding hidden treasures in old drugs: the challenges and importance of licensing generics.

Drug Discov Today. 2017 Aug 31;:

Authors: Simsek M, Meijer B, van Bodegraven AA, de Boer NKH, Mulder CJJ

Abstract
Identifying new indications for existing drugs creates new therapeutic options while bypassing much of the costs and time involved with bringing a new drug to market. The rediscovery of a generic drug, however, is a challenging pursuit because there is no formal regulatory approach and a lack of economic interest by pharmaceutical companies. This played a part in the re-registration of thioguanine as a rescue drug for the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease in The Netherlands. In this article, we aim to underline the importance of drug rediscovery, the difficulties of this procedure in Europe and we attempt to suggest conceivable solutions.

PMID: 28867540 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Antiviral Drug Ribavirin Targets Thyroid Cancer Cells by Inhibiting the eIF4E-β-Catenin Axis.

Am J Med Sci. 2017 Aug;354(2):182-189

Authors: Shen X, Zhu Y, Xiao Z, Dai X, Liu D, Li L, Xiao B

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) is important in cancer development and progression, its role in thyroid cancer is not well understood. Ribavirin, an anti-viral drug, has been identified as an eIF4E inhibitor. Herein, we investigated the effects of ribavirin on thyroid cancer and its molecular mechanisms of action.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of ribavirin on thyroid cancer was investigated using in vitro cellular assays and in vivo xenograft mouse model. The mechanism of its action on eIF4E-β-catenin axis was examined using genetic and biochemical approaches.
RESULTS: We show that ribavirin inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in the thyroid cancer cell lines 8505C and FTC-133. Ribavirin inhibited thyroid cancer growth in a xenograft mouse model. Ribavirin also sensitized thyroid cancer's response to paclitaxel. Mechanistically, ribavirin suppressed eIF4E phosphorylation and overexpression of its wildtype and phosphor-mimetic form (S209D) but not of the non-phosphorylatable form (S209A), which rescued the inhibitory effects of ribavirin in thyroid cancer cells. We further demonstrated that ribavirin suppressed phosphorylation and activities of β-catenin and its subsequent gene transcriptional expression. β-Catenin overexpression rescued the effects of ribavirin in thyroid cancer cells. Importantly, we show that eIF4E regulated β-catenin and that the regulation depended on phosphorylation at S209. The in vivo inhibitory effects of ribavirin on phosphorylation of eIF4E and β-catenin were also observed in thyroid tumor.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data clearly demonstrate that ribavirin acts on thyroid cancer cells by inhibiting eIF4E/β-catenin signaling. Our findings suggest that ribavirin has the potential to be repurposed for thyroid cancer treatment and also highlight the therapeutic value of inhibiting eIF4E-β-catenin in thyroid cancer.

PMID: 28864377 [PubMed - in process]

Repositioning of proton pump inhibitors in cancer therapy.

Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2017 Aug 31;:

Authors: Lu ZN, Tian B, Guo XL

Abstract
Drug repositioning, as a smart way to exploit new molecular targets of a known drug, has been gaining increasing attention in the discovery of anti-cancer drugs. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) as benzimidazole derivatives, which are essentially H(+)-K(+)-ATPases inhibitors, are commonly used in the treatment of acid-related diseases such as gastric ulcer. In recent years, exploring the new application of PPIs in anti-cancer field has become a hot research topic. Interestingly, cancer cells display an alkaline intracellular pH and an acidic extracellular pH. The extracellular acidity of tumors can be corrected by PPIs that are selectively activated in an acid milieu. It is generally believed that PPIs might provoke disruption of pH homeostasis by targeting V-ATPase on cancer cells, which is the theoretical basis for PPIs to play an anti-cancer role. Numerous studies have shown specialized effects of the PPIs on tumor cell growth, metastasis, chemoresistance, and autophagy. PPIs may really represent new anti-cancer drugs due to better safety and tolerance, the potential selectivity in targeting tumor acidity, and the ability to inhibit mechanism pivotal for cancer homeostasis. In this review, we focus on the new therapeutic applications of PPIs in multiple cancers, explaining the rationale behind this approach and providing practical evidence.

PMID: 28861639 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

A signalome screening approach in the autoinflammatory disease TNF Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS) highlights the anti-inflammatory properties of drugs for repurposing.

Pharmacol Res. 2017 Aug 28;:

Authors: Todd I, Negm OH, Reps J, Radford P, Figueredo G, McDermott EM, Drewe E, Powell RJ, Bainbridge S, Hamed M, Crouch S, Garibaldi J, St-Gallay S, Fairclough LC, Tighe PJ

Abstract
TNF Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS) is an autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations in TNF Receptor 1 (TNFR1). Current therapies for TRAPS are limited and do not target the pro-inflammatory signalling pathways that are central to the disease mechanism. Our aim was to identify drugs for repurposing as anti-inflammatories based on their ability to down-regulate molecules associated with inflammatory signalling pathways that are activated in TRAPS. This was achieved using rigorously optimised, high through-put cell culture and reverse phase protein microarray systems to screen compounds for their effects on the TRAPS-associated inflammatory signalome. 1360 approved, publically available, pharmacologically active substances were investigated for their effects on 40 signalling molecules associated with pro-inflammatory signalling pathways that are constitutively upregulated in TRAPS. The drugs were screened at four ten-fold concentrations on cell lines expressing both wild-type (WT) TNFR1 and TRAPS-associated C33Y mutant TNFR1, or WT TNFR1 alone; signalling molecule levels were then determined in cell lysates by the reverse-phase protein microarray. A novel mathematical methodology was developed to rank the compounds for their ability to reduce the expression of signalling molecules in the C33Y-TNFR1 transfectants towards the level seen in the WT-TNFR1 transfectants. Seven high-ranking drugs were selected and tested by RPPA for effects on the same 40 signalling molecules in lysates of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from C33Y-TRAPS patients compared to PBMCs from normal controls. The fluoroquinolone antibiotic lomefloxacin, as well as others from this class of compounds, showed the most significant effects on multiple pro-inflammatory signalling pathways that are constitutively activated in TRAPS; lomefloxacin dose-dependently significantly reduced expression of 7/40 signalling molecules across the Jak/Stat, MAPK, NF-κB and PI3K/AKT pathways. This study demonstrates the power of signalome screening for identifying candidates for drug repurposing.

PMID: 28860008 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Pancreas Cancer Precision Treatment Using Avatar Mice from a Bioinformatics Perspective.

Public Health Genomics. 2017 Sep 01;20(2):77-87

Authors: Perales-Patón J, Piñeiro-Yañez E, Tejero H, López-Casas PP, Hidalgo M, Gómez-López G, Al-Shahrour F

Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death among solid malignancies. Unfortunately, PDAC lethality has not substantially decreased over the past 20 years. This aggressiveness is related to the genomic complexity and heterogeneity of PDAC, but also to the absence of an effective screening for the detection of early-stage tumors and a lack of efficient therapeutic options. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the arsenal of anti-PDAC drugs for an effective treatment of these patients. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models represent a promising strategy to personalize PDAC treatment, offering a bench testing of candidate treatments and helping to select empirical treatments in PDAC patients with no therapeutic targets. Moreover, bioinformatics-based approaches have the potential to offer systematic insights into PDAC etiology predicting putatively actionable tumor-specific genomic alterations, identifying novel biomarkers and generating disease-associated gene expression signatures. This review focuses on recent efforts to individualize PDAC treatments using PDX models. Additionally, we discuss the current understanding of the PDAC genomic landscape and the putative druggable targets derived from mutational studies. PDAC molecular subclassifications and gene expression profiling studies are reviewed as well. Finally, latest bioinformatics methodologies based on somatic variant detection and prioritization, in silico drug response prediction, and drug repositioning to improve the treatment of advanced PDAC tumors are also covered.

PMID: 28858862 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Chemogenomic landscape of RUNX1-mutated AML reveals importance of RUNX1 allele dosage in genetics and glucocorticoid sensitivity.

Clin Cancer Res. 2017 Aug 30;:

Authors: Simon L, Lavallée VP, Bordeleau ME, Krosl J, Baccelli I, Boucher G, Lehnertz B, Chagraoui J, MacRae T, Ruel R, Chantigny YA, Lemieux S, Marinier A, Hébert J, Sauvageau G

Abstract
PURPOSE: RUNX1-mutated (RUNX1mut) Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is associated with adverse outcome, highlighting the urgent need for a better genetic characterization of this AML subgroup and for the design of efficient therapeutic strategies for this disease. Towards this goal, we further dissected the mutational spectrum and gene expression profile of RUNX1mut AML and correlated these results to drug sensitivity to identify novel compounds targeting this AML subgroup.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: RNA-sequencing of 47 RUNX1mut primary AML specimens was performed and sequencing results were compared to those of RUNX1 wild-type samples. Chemical screens were also conducted using RUNX1mut specimens to identify compounds selectively affecting the viability of RUNX1mut AML.
RESULTS: We show that samples with no remaining RUNX1 wild-type allele are clinically and genetically distinct and display a more homogeneous gene expression profile. Chemical screening revealed that most RUNX1mut specimens are sensitive to glucocorticoids (GCs) and we confirmed that GCs inhibit AML cell proliferation through their interaction with the Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR). We observed that specimens harboring RUNX1 mutations expected to result in low residual RUNX1 activity are most sensitive to GCs, and that co-associating mutations as well as that GR levels contribute to GC sensitivity. Accordingly, acquired glucocorticoid sensitivity was achieved by negatively regulating RUNX1 expression in human AML cells.
CONCLUSION: Our findings show the profound impact of RUNX1 allele dosage on gene expression profile and glucocorticoid sensitivity in AML, thereby opening opportunities for preclinical testing which may lead to drug repurposing and improved disease characterization.

PMID: 28855357 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Targeting ADAM17 Sheddase Activity in Cancer.

Curr Drug Targets. 2016;17(16):1908-1927

Authors: Rossello A, Nuti E, Ferrini S, Fabbi M

Abstract
A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)17 is a sheddase, capable of releasing the ectodomains of membrane proteins such as growth factors (e.g. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor ligands), cytokines and their receptors, adhesion and signaling molecules. These activities regulate several physiological and pathological processes including inflammation, tumor growth and metastatic progression. In this review, we will summarize ADAM17 biology and focus on its role in cancer and the possible usage of ADAM17 inhibitors in cancer therapy. Recent achievements in this area include the development of small molecule metalloprotease inhibitors with enhanced specificity for ADAM17, monoclonal antibodies, and synthetic short RNA molecules for gene silencing. These approaches successfully inhibited cancer cell growth and invasiveness or sensitized them to cytotoxic drugs, ionizing radiations or targeted therapies, in preclinical studies. These findings suggest the repositioning of ADAM17 inhibitors, which have yet proven unsuccessful as anti-inflammatory agents, for the development of new anti-cancer therapies, particularly in EGFR ligand-dependent cancers. Future studies should address ADAM17 inhibitors as short-term treatments in combination with different anti-cancer therapies.

PMID: 27469341 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Integrated Computational Analysis of Genes Associated with Human Hereditary Insensitivity to Pain. A Drug Repurposing Perspective.

Front Mol Neurosci. 2017;10:252

Authors: Lötsch J, Lippmann C, Kringel D, Ultsch A

Abstract
Genes causally involved in human insensitivity to pain provide a unique molecular source of studying the pathophysiology of pain and the development of novel analgesic drugs. The increasing availability of "big data" enables novel research approaches to chronic pain while also requiring novel techniques for data mining and knowledge discovery. We used machine learning to combine the knowledge about n = 20 genes causally involved in human hereditary insensitivity to pain with the knowledge about the functions of thousands of genes. An integrated computational analysis proposed that among the functions of this set of genes, the processes related to nervous system development and to ceramide and sphingosine signaling pathways are particularly important. This is in line with earlier suggestions to use these pathways as therapeutic target in pain. Following identification of the biological processes characterizing hereditary insensitivity to pain, the biological processes were used for a similarity analysis with the functions of n = 4,834 database-queried drugs. Using emergent self-organizing maps, a cluster of n = 22 drugs was identified sharing important functional features with hereditary insensitivity to pain. Several members of this cluster had been implicated in pain in preclinical experiments. Thus, the present concept of machine-learned knowledge discovery for pain research provides biologically plausible results and seems to be suitable for drug discovery by identifying a narrow choice of repurposing candidates, demonstrating that contemporary machine-learned methods offer innovative approaches to knowledge discovery from available evidence.

PMID: 28848388 [PubMed]