Role and regulation of FOXO3a: new insights into breast cancer therapy

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in the world, particularly affecting female cancer patients. Enhancing the therapeutic strategies for breast cancer necessitates identifying molecular drug targets that effectively eliminate tumor cells. One of these prominent targets is the forkhead and O3a class (FOXO3a), a member of the forkhead transcription factor subfamily. FOXO3a plays a pivotal role in various cellular processes, including apoptosis, proliferation, cell cycle regulation, and drug resistance. It acts as a tumor suppressor in multiple cancer types, although its specific role in cancer remains unclear. Moreover, FOXO3a shows promise as a potential marker for tumor diagnosis and prognosis in breast cancer patients. In addition, it is actively influenced by common anti-breast cancer drugs like paclitaxel, simvastatin, and gefitinib. In breast cancer, the regulation of FOXO3a involves intricate networks, encompassing post-translational modification post-translational regulation by non-coding RNA (ncRNA) and protein-protein interaction. The specific mechanism of FOXO3a in breast cancer urgently requires further investigation. This review aims to systematically elucidate the role of FOXO3a in breast cancer. Additionally, it reviews the interaction of FOXO3a and its upstream and downstream signaling pathway-related molecules to uncover potential therapeutic drugs and related regulatory factors for breast cancer treatment by regulating FOXO3a.

Novel Small Molecules in IBD: Current State and Future Perspectives

Biologicals have dominated the therapeutic scenery in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), namely ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), for the past 20 years. The development of tofacitinib was the starting point for an era of small molecules after the era of biologicals. These new agents may challenge the use of biological agents in the future. They share properties that appeal to both patients and physicians. Low production costs, a lack of immunogenicity, and ease of use are only some of their benefits. On the other hand, patients and their physicians must manage the potential side effects of small molecules such as JAK inhibitors or S1P1R modulators. Here, we present agents that have already entered the clinical routine and those that are still being investigated in clinical trials.

The recent progress of peptide regulators for the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Wnt signaling plays an important role in many biological processes such as stem cell self-renewal, cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. The β-catenin-dependent signaling pathway mainly regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. In the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, the Wnt family ligands transduce signals through LRP5/6 and Frizzled receptors to the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascades. Wnt-targeted therapy has garnered extensive attention. The most commonly used approach in targeted therapy is small-molecule regulators. However, it is difficult for small-molecule regulators to make great progress due to their inherent defects. Therapeutic peptide regulators targeting the Wnt signaling pathway have become an alternative therapy, promising to fill the gaps in the clinical application of small-molecule regulators. In this review, we describe recent advances in peptide regulators for Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Efficacy and Safety of Biologics and Small Molecules for Moderate-to-Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Background: Treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is difficult and current guidelines are based mainly on expert opinion and non-randomized controlled trials. Recently, there have been some targeted therapies using uniform primary endpoints for outcome assessment. Objective: Recommendations can be provided on selecting biologics and targeted synthetic small molecules for refractory HS by comparing the efficacy and safety of these medications. Methods: Databases including ClinicalTrial.gov, Cochrane Library, and PubMed were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for moderate-to-severe HS were eligible. We performed random-effect network meta-analysis and ranking probability. The primary outcome was Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinical Response (HiSCR) at 12-16 weeks. Secondary outcome included Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) 0/1, mean change of DLQI from baseline, and adverse effects. Results: A total of 12 RCTs involving 2915 patients were identified. Adalimumab, bimekizumab, secukinumab 300 mg q4w and secukinumab 300 mg q2w showed superiority to placebo in HiSCR at weeks 12 to 16. In addition, there was no significant difference between bimekizumab and adalimumab as measured by HiSCR (RR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.66-1.52) and DLQI 0/1 (RR = 2.40, 95% CI: 0.88-6.50). In terms of ranking probability for achieving HiSCR at 12-16 weeks, adalimumab ranked first, followed by bimekizumab, secukinumab 300 mg q4w, and secukinumab 300 mg q2w. All biologics and small molecules did not differ in the development of adverse effects compared to placebo. Conclusions: Adalimumab, bimekizumab, secukinumab 300 mg q4w and secukinumab 300 mg q2w represent four regimens that produce better outcomes than placebo without increased risk of adverse events. Adalimumab and bimekizumab exhibited best HiSCR and DLQI 0/1 between weeks 12-16.

Therapeutic targeting of DNA damage repair pathways guided by homologous recombination deficiency scoring in ovarian cancers

The susceptibility of cells to DNA damage and their DNA repair ability are crucial for cancer therapy. Homologous recombination is one of the major repairing mechanisms for DNA double-strand breaks. Approximately half of ovarian cancer (OvCa) cells harbor homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). Considering that HRD is a major hallmark of OvCas, scholars proposed HRD scoring to evaluate the HRD degree and guide the choice of therapeutic strategies for OvCas. In the last decade, synthetic lethal strategy by targeting poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in HR-deficient OvCas has attracted considerable attention in view of its favorable clinical effort. We therefore suggested that the uses of other DNA damage/repair-targeted drugs in HR-deficient OvCas might also offer better clinical outcome. Here, we reviewed the current small molecule compounds that targeted DNA damage/repair pathways and discussed the HRD scoring system to guide their clinical uses.

Identification and validation of a five-lncRNA signature for predicting survival with targeted drug candidates in ovarian cancer

The dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) plays a crucial role in ovarian cancer (OC). In this study, we screened out five differentially expressed lncRNAs (AC092718.4, AC138035.1, BMPR1B-DT, RNF157-AS1, and TPT1-AS1) between OC and normal ovarian based on TCGA and GTEx RNA-seq databases by using Kaplan-Meier analysis and univariate Cox, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression. Then, a risk signature was constructed, with 1, 3, 5-year survival prediction accuracy confirmed by ROC curves, and an online survival calculator for easier clinical use. With lncRNA-microRNA-mRNA regulatory networks established, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed, suggesting the involvement of a variety of cancer-related functions and pathways. Finally, five candidate small-molecule drugs (thioridazine, trifluoperazine, loperamide, LY294002, and puromycin) were predicted by Connectivity Map. In conclusion, we identified a 5-lncRNA signature of prognostic value with its ceRNA networks, and five candidate drugs against OC.[Figure: see text].

Four Novel Prognostic Genes Related to Prostate Cancer Identified Using Co-expression Structure Network Analysis

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies for males, but very little is known about its pathogenesis. This study aimed to identify novel biomarkers associated with PCa prognosis and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism. First, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) RNA-sequencing data were utilized to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between tumor and normal samples. The DEGs were then applied to construct a co-expression and mined using structure network analysis. The magenta module that was highly related to the Gleason score (r = 0.46, p = 3e-26) and tumor stage (r = 0.38, p = 2e-17) was screened. Subsequently, all genes of the magenta module underwent function annotation. From the key module, CCNA2, CKAP2L, NCAPG, and NUSAP1 were chosen as the four candidate genes. Finally, internal (TCGA) and external data sets (GSE32571, GSE70770, and GSE141551) were combined to validate and predict the value of real hub genes. The results show that the above genes are up-regulated in PCa samples, and higher expression levels show significant association with higher Gleason scores and tumor T stage. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic curve and survival analysis validate the excellent value of hub genes in PCa progression and prognosis. In addition, the protein levels of these four genes also remain higher in tumor tissues when compared with normal tissues. Gene set enrichment analysis and gene set variation analysis for a single gene reveal the close relation with cell proliferation. Meanwhile, 11 small molecular drugs that have the potential to treat PCa were also screened. In conclusion, our research identified four potential prognostic genes and several candidate molecular drugs for treating PCa.

Identification of DNA-Repair-Related Five-Gene Signature to Predict Prognosis in Patients with Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer (ESCA) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with poor prognosis worldwide. DNA damage repair is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Loss of genomic integrity owing to inactivation of DNA repair genes can increase the risk of cancer progression and lead to poor prognosis. We aimed to identify a novel gene signature related to DNA repair to predict the prognosis of ESCA patients. Based on gene expression profiles of ESCA patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas and gene set enrichment analysis, 102 genes related to DNA repair were identified as candidates. After stepwise Cox regression analysis, we established a five-gene prognostic model comprising DGCR8, POM121, TAF9, UPF3B, and BCAP31. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis confirmed a strong correlation between the prognostic model and survival. Moreover, we verified the clinical value of the prognostic signature under the influence of different clinical parameters. We found that small-molecule drugs (trametinib, selumetinib, and refametinib) could help to improve patient survival. In summary, our study provides a novel and promising prognostic signature based on DNA-repair-related genes to predict survival of patients with ESCA. Systematic data mining provides a theoretical basis for further exploring the molecular pathogenesis of ESCA and identifying therapeutic targets.

Construction of a prognostic model based on nine immune-related genes and identification of small molecule drugs for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

This study aimed to develop a prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on immune-related genes and to identify new potential small-molecule drugs. A differential gene expression analysis of high-throughput microarray data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was performed to identify immune-related genes. By comparison with an immune-related genome, nine genes with important prognostic value for HCC were identified. The prognostic characteristics were established based on univariate and multivariate COX and Lasso regression analyzes. Subsequently, immune-related HCC risk signatures were constructed based on these identified nine immune-related genes and patients were classified as being at high or low risk according to these signatures. The overall survival (OS) time of high-risk patients was significantly shorter than that of low-risk patients. When studied as an independent prognostic factor of HCC, the significant prognostic value of this feature can be seen in the stratified cohorts. For clinical application, it was developed a nomogram that includes nine clinical risk factors and the prognostic model built based on the identified immune-related genes. Internal and external verification on 243 HCC tissues through International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database were performed to make this model more accurate and reliable. In addition, it was observed a positive regulation between the identified immune-related genes and their transcription factors found in HCC patients. Moreover, physiological function and signaling pathway of identified immune-related genes were studied by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. Finally, several new small molecular drugs with potential for the treatment of HCC have been identified in the CMap database.

Optimization of chromatography to overcome matrix effect for reliable estimation of four small molecular drugs from biological fluids using LC-MS/MS

The article describes a systematic study to overcome the matrix effect during chromatographic analysis of gemfibrozil, rivastigmine, telmisartan and tacrolimus from biological fluids using LC-ESI-MS/MS. All four methods were thoroughly developed by the appropriate choice of analytical column, elution mode and pH of mobile phase for improved chromatography and overall method performance. Matrix effect was assessed by post-column analyte infusion, slope of calibration line approach and post-extraction spiking. The best chromatographic conditions established were: Acquity BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column with 5.0 mm ammonium acetate, pH 6.0-methanol as the mobile phase under gradient program for gemfibrozil; Luna CN (50 × 2.0 mm, 3 μm) column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-10 mm ammonium acetate, pH 7.0 (90:10, v/v) for rivastigmine; Inertsustain C₁₈ (100 × 2.0 mm, 5 μm) column using methanol-2.0 mm ammonium formate, pH 5.5 (80: 20, v/v) as the mobile phase for isocratic elution of telmisartan; and Acquity BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with methanol-10 mm ammonium acetate, pH 6.0 (95:5, v/v) as mobile phase for tacrolimus. The methods were thoroughly validated as per European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration guidance and were successfully applied for pharmacokinetic studies in healthy subjects.

An industry update: the latest developments in therapeutic delivery

The present industry update covers the period 1-31 January 2017, with information sourced from company press releases, regulatory and patent agencies as well as the scientific literature. With a new year come new resolutions, annual operation plans but also reports and outlooks for the years(s) to come. A number of the latter have been published in January forecasting various spaces in drug delivery (Market and Research). Also a number of financing deals were closed being fresh into the year such as Ossianix and Ocular Therapeutix and contract manufacturers will show their offerings at the 2017 MD&M West Medtech event (Lubrizol, Trelleborg). The US FDA released some new (draft) guidelines for combination products to regulate standards and disputes in this increasingly important field. Recent advances in artificial pancreas technology demonstrates that while the age of nanotechnology and gene therapy (Bluebird Bio) has arrived, implantable, closed-loop delivery systems (Medtronic) are just to pass successfully the clinic and come in reach of patients.