Protein Kinases and Their Impact on Tumor Growth: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Methods and Technologies Development".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 1010
Special Issue Editors
Interests: leukemia; melanoma; target identification and validation; experimental therapeutics; animal models; preclinical drug development; translational oncology research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: cancer research; anticancer agents; diabetes; NRF2 inhibitors; small-molecule inhibitors of protein kinases; anti-cancer agents from natural sources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Phosphorylation is a key post-translational modification that regulates the activity and fate of proteins, playing a critical role in various cellular processes. Protein kinases, which catalyze phosphorylation, play a particularly important role in cancer development and progression by controlling the hallmark features of cancer cells such as survival, proliferation, and metastasis. Among the many types of protein kinases, those involved in these processes have garnered significant attention in cancer research. Advancements in data analysis, gene knockdown techniques, expression studies, and synthetic chemistry have accelerated the study of protein kinases in tumor development. Preclinical and clinical trials investigating protein kinase inhibitors have shown promising results, prompting many researchers to synthesize or isolate potent compounds with enhanced safety and efficacy. However, many challenges persist in targeting protein ki-nases; one such challenge is selectivity. Since many protein kinases share similar active/substrate-binding sites, and the degree of homology among different protein kinases is extremely high, designing a selective inhibitor has become a daunting task. Additionally, the development of drug resistance poses another significant hurdle, with mechanisms such as signaling pathway crosstalk, bypass pathways, and protein mutations contributing to resistance.
Despite the extensive research on protein kinases, there are many areas that urgently require further attention. For instance, the isoform-specific functions of protein kinases and their role in tumor development represent one area in which we need a better understanding in order to effectively target specific tumor types. Likewise, an in-depth understanding of protein kinase activity and expression mechanisms is needed. Moreover, the role of microRNAs in the expression of the oncogenic/tumor suppressor functions of kinases is not completely understood. It is also not fully known whether targeting protein kinases alone is effective or whether a combination approach is required for effective tumor regression. Further research is required on how to identify the panel of protein kinases to be targeted in a combination regimen. Similarly, diagnostic and prognostic applications of protein kinases in tumor progression and treatment efficacy assessment are still in the initial stages. Therefore, further research in these areas is warranted.
This Special Issue will highlight the role of key protein kinase signaling pathways in cancer, with special emphasis on PI3K-Akt and MAPK cascades. We welcome research and review articles covering basic, preclinical, and clinical aspects that advance our understanding of the targeting of these complex pathways and address crosstalk mechanisms in human tumors.
Prof. Dr. Arati Sharma
Prof. Dr. SubbaRao Madhunapantula
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- protein kinases
- PI3K-Akt signaling
- MAPK signaling
- kinase inhibitors
- drug resistance
- crosstalk
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
