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Targeting Survival Pathways in Lymphoma

  • Chapter
BCL-2 Protein Family

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((volume 687))

Abstract

Targeting cellular death pathways including apoptosis is a promising strategy for cancer drug discovery. To date at least three major types of cell death have been distinguished, including: apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis. Increasing evidence has begun to support a role of Bcl-2-family members in the cellular pathways involved in each of these processes. The induction of apoptosis in different types of tissue and in response to various stressors is a complex process that is controlled by different BCL-2 family members. Pharmacologic modulation of BCL-2 proteins and apoptosis can be achieved through different ways including the use of: (1) Modified peptides; (2) Small molecule inhibitors of anti-apoptotic proteins; (3) Antisense strategies; and (4) TRAIL targeting. Non-peptide based small-molecule inhibitors of signaling pathways are at present the strategy of choice given their low antigenicity and generally more favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic features, especially as they pertain to volume of distribution and intracellular accumulation. Bcl2-family inhibitors are showing impressive preclinical efficacy in animal models and are moving rapidly towards phase I and II clinical trials. Appropriate preclinical studies will need to identify the optimal strategies for combining these agents, with an emphasis on the importance of dose and schedule dependency.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine and Pharmacology and Department of Clinical Research and Cancer Treatment, New York Univeristy Cancer Institute, New York, New York

    Owen A. O’Connor

  2. Division of Hematological Malignancies and Medical Oncology, The New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York

    Owen A. O’Connor

  3. Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center College of Physicians and Surgeons The New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Luca Paoluzzi

Authors
  1. Luca Paoluzzi
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  2. Owen A. O’Connor
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Correspondence to Owen A. O’Connor .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biomedical Sciences, FONDAP Center for Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC) Millennium Nucleus for Neural Morphogenesis (NEMO), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Claudio Hetz PhD

  2. Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Claudio Hetz PhD

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Paoluzzi, L., O’Connor, O.A. (2010). Targeting Survival Pathways in Lymphoma. In: Hetz, C. (eds) BCL-2 Protein Family. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 687. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6706-0_5

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