Courtesy of Kinexus
Kinases, the enzymes that catalyze phosphorylation events, have been implicated in hundreds of different diseases, including cancer, inflammatory diseases, and neurological disorders. Compounds that control their activity, therefore, hold rich promise for drug development.
Consider Gleevec, Novartis Pharmaceutical's antileukemia drug. Gleevec targets the Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. In binding that enzyme, the drug inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis, thereby slowing cancer progression. Though Gleevec targets a special kind of kinase (one formed specifically by a chromosomal translocation and therefore found only in patients with a specific cancer), the general strategy could be applicable to other diseases.
"I believe that every person probably has a unique form of cancer at the molecular level," says Steven Pelech, professor of neurology at the University of British Columbia, and founder and CEO of Vancouver-based Kinexus. "The pharmaceutical industry is developing a very specific arsenal of kinase ...
