Developing a Mathematical Model of Intracellular Calcium Dynamics for Evaluating Combined Anticancer Effects of Afatinib and RP4010 in Esophageal Cancer

A robust optimal control framework for controlling aberrant RTK signaling pathways in esophageal cancer

This study presents a new framework for obtaining personalized optimal treatment strategies targeting aberrant signaling pathways in esophageal cancer, such as the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathways. A new pharmacokinetic model is developed taking into account specific heterogeneities of these signaling mechanisms. The optimal therapies are designed to be obtained using a three step process. First, a finite-dimensional constrained optimization problem is solved to obtain the parameters of the pharmacokinetic model, using discrete patient data measurements. Next, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to determine which of the parameters are sensitive to the evolution of the variants of EGF receptors and VEGF receptors. Finally, a second optimal control problem is solved based on the sensitivity analysis results, using a modified pharmacokinetic model that incorporates two representative drugs Trastuzumab and Bevacizumab, targeting EGF and VEGF, respectively. Numerical results with the combination of the two drugs demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed framework.

Orai1 Ca2+ channel modulators as therapeutic tools for treating cancer: Emerging evidence!

In non-excitable cells, Orai proteins represent the main channel for Store-Operated Calcium Entry (SOCE), and also mediate various store-independent Calcium Entry (SICE) pathways. Deregulation of these pathways contribute to increased tumor cell proliferation, migration, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Among Orais, Orai1 is an attractive therapeutic target explaining the development of specific modulators. Therapeutic trials using Orai1 channel inhibitors have been evaluated for treating diverse diseases such as psoriasis and acute pancreatitis, and emerging data suggest that Orai1 channel modulators may be beneficial for cancer treatment. This review discusses herein the importance of Orai1 channel modulators as potential therapeutic tools and the added value of these modulators for treating cancer.

Quantifying assays: inhibition of signalling pathways of cancer

Inhibiting a signalling pathway concerns controlling the cellular processes of a cancer cell's viability, cell division and death. Assay protocols created to see if the molecular structures of the drugs being tested have the desired inhibition qualities often show great variability across experiments, and it is imperative to diminish the effects of such variability while inferences are drawn. In this paper, we propose the study of experimental data through the lenses of a mathematical model depicting the inhibition mechanism and the activation-inhibition dynamics. The method is exemplified through assay data obtained from an experimental study of the inhibition of the chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) signalling pathway of melanoma cells. The quantitative analysis is conducted as a two step process: (i) deriving theoretically from the model the cell viability as a function of time depending on several parameters; (ii) estimating the values of the parameters by using the experimental data. The cell viability is obtained as a function of concentration of the inhibitor and time, thus providing a comprehensive characterization of the potential therapeutic effect of the considered inhibitor, e.g. $IC_{50}$ can be computed for any time point.

New frontiers in the design and discovery of therapeutics that target calcium ion signaling: a novel approach in the fight against cancer

INTRODUCTION

The Ca2+ signaling toolkit is currently under investigation as a potential target for addressing the threat of cancer. A growing body of evidence suggests that calcium signaling plays a crucial role in promoting various aspects of cancer, including cell proliferation, progression, drug resistance, and migration-related activities. Consequently, focusing on these altered Ca2+ transporting proteins has emerged as a promising area of research for cancer treatment.

AREAS COVERED

This review highlights the existing research on the role of Ca2+-transporting proteins in cancer progression. It discusses the current studies evaluating Ca2+ channel/transporter/pump blockers, inhibitors, or regulators as potential anticancer drugs. Additionally, the review addresses specific gaps in our understanding of the field that may require further investigation.

EXPERT OPINION

Targeting specific Ca2+ signaling cascades could disrupt normal cellular activities, making cancer therapy complex and elusive. Therefore, there is a need for improvements in current Ca2+ signaling pathway focused medicines. While synthetic molecules and plant compounds show promise, they also come with certain limitations. Hence, exploring the framework of targeted drug delivery, structure-rationale-based designing, and repurposing potential drugs to target Ca2+ transporting proteins could potentially lead to a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment.

Afatinib triggers a Ni2+ -resistant Ca2+ influx pathway in A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells

Afatinib is used to treat non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLC), and its mechanism involves irreversible inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase. In this study, we examined if afatinib had cytotoxic action against NSCLC other than inhibition of tyrosine kinase. Afatinib (1-30 μM) caused apoptotic death in A549 NSCLC in a concentration-dependent manner. Afatinib triggered Ca²⁺ influx without causing Ca²⁺ release, and the Ca²⁺ influx was unaffected by sodium orthovanadate (SOV, an inhibitor of tyrosine phosphatase), suggesting that afatinib-triggered Ca²⁺ response was unrelated to its inhibition of tyrosine kinase. Addition of afatinib also promoted Mn²⁺ influx. Ca²⁺ influx triggered by afatinib was resistant to SKF96365 and ruthenium red (two general blockers of TRP channels) and, unexpectedly, Ni²⁺ (a non-specific Ca²⁺ channel blocker). Afatinib caused an increase in mitochondrial Ca²⁺ level, an initial mitochondrial hyperpolarization (4 h) and followed by mitochondrial potential collapse (24-48 h). Afatinib-induced cell death was slightly but significantly alleviated in low extracellular Ca²⁺ condition or under pharmacological block of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening by cyclosporin A. Therefore, in addition to tyrosine kinase inhibition as a major anti-cancer mechanism of afatinib, stimulation of an atypical Ca²⁺ influx pathway, mitochondrial Ca²⁺ overload, and potential collapse in part contribute to afatinib-induced cell death.

A Fokker-Planck feedback control framework for optimal personalized therapies in colon cancer-induced angiogenesis

In this paper, a new framework for obtaining personalized optimal treatment strategies in colon cancer-induced angiogenesis is presented. The dynamics of colon cancer is given by a Itó stochastic process, which helps in modeling the randomness present in the system. The stochastic dynamics is then represented by the Fokker-Planck (FP) partial differential equation that governs the evolution of the associated probability density function. The optimal therapies are obtained using a three step procedure. First, a finite dimensional FP-constrained optimization problem is formulated that takes input individual noisy patient data, and is solved to obtain the unknown parameters corresponding to the individual tumor characteristics. Next, a sensitivity analysis of the optimal parameter set is used to determine the parameters to be controlled, thus, helping in assessing the types of treatment therapies. Finally, a feedback FP control problem is solved to determine the optimal combination therapies. Numerical results with the combination drug, comprising of Bevacizumab and Capecitabine, demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed framework.