Potent, selective inhibitors of fibroblast growth factor receptor define fibroblast growth factor dependence in preclinical cancer models.

We describe here the identification and characterization of 2 novel inhibitors of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) family of receptor tyrosine kinases. The compounds exhibit selective inhibition of FGFR over the closely related VEGFR2 receptor in cell lines and in vivo. The pharmacologic profile of these inhibitors was defined using a panel of human tumor cell lines characterized for specific mutations, amplifications, or translocations known to activate one of the four FGFR receptor isoforms. This pharmacology defines a profile for inhibitors that are likely to be of use in clinical settings in disease types where FGFR is shown to play an important role.

Response prediction to a multitargeted kinase inhibitor in cancer cell lines and xenograft tumors using high-content tyrosine peptide arrays with a kinetic readout.

Multitargeted kinase inhibitors have shown clinical efficacy in a range of cancer types. However, two major problems associated with these drugs are the low fraction of patients for which these treatments provide initial clinical benefit and the occurrence of resistance during prolonged therapy. Several types of predictive biomarkers have been suggested, such as expression level and phosphorylation status of the major targeted kinase(s), mutational status of the kinases involved and of key components of the downstream signaling cascades, and gene expression signatures. In this work, we describe the development of a response prediction platform that does not require prior knowledge of the relevant kinases targeted by the inhibitor; instead, a phosphotyrosine peptide profile using peptide arrays with a kinetic readout is derived in lysates in the presence and absence of a kinase inhibitor. We show in a range of cell lines and in xenograft tumors that this approach allows for the stratification of responders and nonresponders to a multitargeted kinase inhibitor.

The Wnt-dependent signaling pathways as target in oncology drug discovery.

Our current understanding of the Wnt-dependent signaling pathways is mainly based on studies performed in a number of model organisms including, Xenopus, Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and mammals. These studies clearly indicate that the Wnt-dependent signaling pathways are conserved through evolution and control many events during embryonic development. Wnt pathways have been shown to regulate cell proliferation, morphology, motility as well as cell fate. The increasing interest of the scientific community, over the last decade, in the Wnt-dependent signaling pathways is supported by the documented importance of these pathways in a broad range of physiological conditions and disease states. For instance, it has been shown that inappropriate regulation and activation of these pathways is associated with several pathological disorders including cancer, retinopathy, tetra-amelia and bone and cartilage disease such as arthritis. In addition, several components of the Wnt-dependent signaling pathways appear to play important roles in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and in the emerging field of stem cell research. In this review, we wish to present a focused overview of the function of the Wnt-dependent signaling pathways and their role in oncogenesis and cancer development. We also want to provide information on a selection of potential drug targets within these pathways for oncology drug discovery, and summarize current data on approaches, including the development of small-molecule inhibitors, that have shown relevant effects on the Wnt-dependent signaling pathways.