PDF Version for Printing
The articles referenced in this Highlights section will be available online in HTML and PDF formats to all interested users at no charge until the next issue of Cancer Research is published. Click on the article title to view the complete article.
View the Table of Contents for the March 15 issue of Cancer Research.
Page 1732
Page 1768
Page 1896
Page 1935
PF-562,271 is a highly selective and potent inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). The molecule is an ATP-competitive inhibitor, as demonstrated by the co-crystallization of the compound in the ATP-binding pocket. Unlike previous approaches that disrupt FAK function by perturbing FAK localization to the focal adhesions, PF-562,271 uniquely allows the elucidation of the role of FAK activity in the study of FAK function. Roberts and colleagues found the compound was exceptionally potent in preventing tumor growth in multiple animal models, resulting in repeated regressions. The antitumor activity can, in part, be attributed to an apoptotic and antiangiogenesis mechanism of action in vivo. This molecule was well tolerated in Phase I clinical testing, resulting in multiple metabolic responses.
Wu et al. Page 2033 Silymarin is an herbal medicine and dietary supplement very widely used in the treatment of chronic liver diseases. As such, the effectiveness of silymarin as a chemopreventive agent for hepatocellular carcinoma is highly important. Wu and colleagues provided in vivo evidence demonstrating that silymarin exerts beneficial effects on the early stages of liver pathogenesis, preventing and delaying liver carcinogenesis. The effectiveness of silymarin on hepatocellular carcinoma prevention, as modeled in this study using HBV X protein transgenic mice, is an important step forward in identifying how and why silymarin works.
Page 2033