Head and Neck Cancer


Book Description

Exciting advances are occurring in the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of squamous head and neck cancers. Epidemiology, staging and screening, as well as premalignancy, chemoprevention and the molecular biology of head and neck cancer, lay the groundwork for the understanding of the clinical chapters that follow. Controversial treatments will be compared to the standard management of patient care. Therapy chapters are divided into stage or category specific (resectable advanced, unresectable advanced or metastatic) problems, allowing the reader to review the current standards and options for patient types or specific patients easily. Considerations of supportive care, late toxicities and quality of life, often overlooked are reviewed in detail. This is a comprehensive summary of the current state of the art research and treatment.




The Oncogenomics Handbook


Book Description

An integrated overview of cancer drug discovery and development from the bench to the clinic, showing with broad strokes and representative examples the drug development process as a network of linked components leading from the discovered target to the ultimate therapeutic product. Following a systems biology approach, the authors explain genomic databases and how to discover oncological targets from them, how then to advance from the gene and transcript to the level of protein biochemistry, how next to move from the chemical realm to that of the living cell and, ultimately, pursue animal modeling and clinical development. Emerging cancer therapeutics including Ritux an, Erbitux, Gleevec Herceptin, Avastin, ABX-EGF, Velcade, Kepivance, Iressa, Tarceva, and Zevalin are addressed. Highlights include cancer genomics, pharmacogenomics, transcriptomics, gene expression analysis, proteomic and enzymatic cancer profiling technologies, and cellular and animal approaches to cancer target validation.




Antibody-Drug Conjugates and Immunotoxins


Book Description

This volume gathers the leading research on antibody-drug conjugates and immunotoxins. Following a rigorous overview, the volume delves into focused sections on all aspects of ADCs and ITs from clinical development through to targeted therapeutic applications and the latest technologies.




Extracellular Targeting of Cell Signaling in Cancer


Book Description

International experts present innovative therapeutic strategies to treat cancer patients and prevent disease progression Extracellular Targeting of Cell Signaling in Cancer highlights innovative therapeutic strategies to treat cancer metastasis and prevent tumor progression. Currently, there are no drugs available to treat or prevent metastatic cancer other than non-selective, toxic chemotherapy. With contributions from an international panel of experts in the field, the book integrates diverse aspects of biochemistry, molecular biology, protein engineering, proteomics, cell biology, pharmacology, biophysics, structural biology, medicinal chemistry and drug development. A large class of proteins called kinases are enzymes required by cancer cells to grow, proliferate, and survive apoptosis (death) by the immune system. Two important kinases are MET and RON which are receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) that initiate cell signaling pathways outside the cell surface in response to extracellular ligands (growth factors.) Both kinases are oncogenes which are required by cancer cells to migrate away from the primary tumor, invade surrounding tissue and metastasize. MET and RON reside on both cancer cells and the support cells surrounding the tumor, called the microenvironment. MET and RON are activated by their particular ligands, the growth factors HGF and MSP, respectively. Blocking MET and RON kinase activation and downstream signaling is a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing tumor progression and metastasis. Written for cancer physicians and biologists as well as drug discovery and development teams in both industry and academia, this is the first book of its kind which explores novel approaches to inhibit MET and RON kinases other than traditional small molecule kinase inhibitors. These new strategies target key tumorigenic processes on the outside of the cell, such as growth factor activation by proteases. These unique strategies have promising potential as an improved alternative to kinase inhibitors, chemotherapy, or radiation treatment.




Animal Models for the Development of Cancer Immunotherapy


Book Description

Animal Models for the Development of Cancer Immunotherapy Provides readers with a clear understanding of the value and challenges of using common and emerging preclinical models in cancer immunotherapy research and development. Animal models are essential tools for studying a range of issues in preclinical and clinical research on therapies targeting cancerous tumors. As clinical trials of advances in cancer immunotherapy are predicted to outpace preclinical research in the near future, there remains an urgent need to develop better animal models for preclinical evaluation of novel modulators. Animal Models for the Development of Cancer Immunotherapy provides a detailed overview of different preclinical model systems for development of novel cancer immunotherapies while highlighting how key aspects of individual models translate into clinical findings. Covering the introduction, development, and therapeutic applications of animal models for cancer immunotherapy, this comprehensive volume helps pharmacologists identify suitable animal models, design pharmacological or translational studies, and advance their mechanistic understanding of therapeutic agents, and increase the possibility of success for novel immunotherapies in clinical settings. Chapters written by prominent leaders in the field address specific models that evaluate immuno-oncology drugs are supported by in-depth case studies and extensive references throughout. Emphasizes the importance of modeling tumor metastasis in preclinical models for efficient translation of findings into the clinic Explores recently discovered mechanisms of resistance and their preclinical modeling Highlights the unique characteristics and features of autologous and allogeneic approaches for humanization of mouse models Reviews development of bone marrow-liver-thymus (BLT) immune humanized mice and emerging alternative models such as genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM) Discusses alternative animal models for cancer research such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) pigs Animal Models for the Development of Cancer Immunotherapy is an essential resource for scientists and researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, medicinal chemists and biochemists, cell and molecular biologists, pharmacologists, immunologists, and clinicians.




Proteasome Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy


Book Description

A panel of leading academic and pharmaceutical investigators takes stock of the remarkable work that has been accomplished to date with proteasome inhibitors in cancer, and examines emerging therapeutic possibilities. The topics range from a discussion of the chemistry and cell biology of the proteasome and the rationale for proteasome inhibitors in cancer to a review of current clinical trials underway. The discussion of rationales for testing proteasome inhibitors in cancer models covers the role of the proteasome in NF-kB activation, the combining of conventional chemotherapy and radiation with proteasome inhibition, notably PS-341, new proteasome methods of inhibiting viral maturation, and the role of protesome inhibition in the treatment of AIDS. The authors also document the development of bortezomib (VelcadeTM) in Phase I clinical trials and in a multicentered Phase II clinical trials in patients with relapsed and refractory myeloma.




Cancer II


Book Description

This book reviews recent breakthroughs in anti-cancer drug discovery. Building on the previous volume in the series, it outlines some of the most significant developments that have occurred in the field in the subsequent period that have led to new drug approvals or promising clinical candidates. The volume is divided into chapters that each relate to a specific protein or protein class. Each chapter provides an overview of the underlying biology and then emphasises the medicinal chemistry strategies and tactics that led to the most significant drugs and drug candidates. A summary of clinical data and the future outlook for the field is also provided. Each chapter is authored by experts in the topic and who have themselves made significant contributions to their respective fields.




Patient-Derived Mouse Models of Cancer


Book Description

This text highlights seminal discoveries and also provides comprehensive and state-of the-art approach to mouse models of human patient tumors. These areas include training, basic techniques, as well as general troubleshooting. Subsequent chapters focus on the different mouse models of patient tumors including the various strains of immunodeficient mice currently available and the transplantation techniques that can be used as well as state-of-the-art imaging techniques. Practical applications of the models from drug discovery, genome analysis to personalized treatment are also covered. Written by experts in that field, each of these sections address these critical issues. A brief review of the existing literature addressing the particular topic follows in each section. Presently, there is no single source to provide information on technique and uses of mouse models of human patient tumors. Patient-Derived Mouse Models of Cancer will satisfy this need for cancer researchers, oncologists, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry scientists as well as molecular biologists studying in vivo systems




PARP Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy


Book Description

PARP Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy provides a comprehensive overview of the role of PARP in cancer therapy. The volume covers the history of the discovery of PARP (poly ADP ribose polymerase) and its role in DNA repair. In addition, a description of discovery of the PARP family, and other DNA maintenance-associated PARPs will also be discussed. The volume also features a section on accessible chemistry behind the development of inhibitors. PARP inhibitors are a group of pharmacological inhibitors that are a particularly good target for cancer therapy. PARP plays a pivotal role in DNA repair and may contribute to the therapeutic resistance to DNA damaging agents used to treat cancer. Researchers have learned a tremendous amount about the biology of PARP and how tumour-specific defects in DNA repair can be exploited by PARPi. The “synthetic lethality” of PARPi is an exciting concept for cancer therapy and has led to a heightened activity in this area.




Advances in Cancer Research


Book Description

The Advances in Cancer Research series provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. This volume stands as the first ever thematic volume in the series, focusing on the topic of genomics in cancer drug development. The chapters included in this book represent the cutting-edge information in the field and span such topics as Mass Spectrometry: Uncovering the Cancer Proteome for Diagnostics; Biomarker Discovery in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer by Genomic Approaches; The Application of siRNA Technology to Cancer Biology Discovery; Ribozyme Technology for Cancer Gene Target Identification and Validation; Cancer Cell-Based Genomic and Small Molecule Screens; Tumour Antigens as Surrogate Markers and Targets for Therapy and Vaccines; Practices and Pitfalls of Mouse Cancer Models in Drug Discovery; Biomarker Assay Translation from Discovery to Clinical Studies in Cancer Drug Development – Quantification of Emerging Protein Biomarkers; Molecular Optical Imaging of Therapeutic Targets of Cancer; Cancer Drug Approval in the United States, Europe and Japan.