مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - The role of signal transducing mechanisms in cancer diagnosis and treatment

Abstract :

Cell signaling is an important part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. Errors in cellular information processing are responsible for diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, and diabetes. Many of the signaling pathways that are affected by genetic mutations and the tumor microenvironment have a profound effect on core metabolism, making this topic once again one of the most intense areas of research in cancer biology. By understanding cell signaling, diseases may be treated effectively. Due to these findings imatinib is the first drug used in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia as a protein kinase inhibitor. Since the discovery of protein phosphorylation by E. Krebs and E. Fisher in the 1950s, protein kinases have been recognized as major players in cell signaling. Today, some protein kinase inhibitors are widely used to treat renal cell carcinoma, non-small-cell lung cancer and colon cancer. In recent years, new biding molecules against to a target which may be the reason of carsinogenesis are identified leading to increase selectivity of particular compounds in cell signaling. So, having the all aspects of cell signaling in normal and different types of cancer cells are important for having the new treatment protocols in cancer. Herein, the cell signaling in a model and the drugs developed against to the affected targets in cell signaling had been summarized. Also the challenges due to the new findings are tried to explain in this extremely active research area in cancer biology.