Kinases in Cancer: Advancing Targeted Therapies and Their Implications in Cancer Immunity

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 4394

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Interests: tyrosine kinase signaling; adapters and scaffolds in signal transductions; DNA damage response; inflammatory cancer signaling and immunity

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
2. Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Interests: structural biophysics; precision oncology; cancer bioinformatics; DNA replication; DNA repair

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The phospho-modification of amino acids is a powerfully effective way to control cell-fate by dynamically altering protein function based upon environmental changes. Such modifications can act efficiently in response to stress by reversibly changing the local chemistry, forming and disrupting functional protein complexes, and activating signaling cascades. Thus, the human kinome encompasses one of the largest family of proteins that control all aspects of cellular processes from growth, proliferation, and survival to energy production and DNA replication and damage response. The deregulation of kinases themselves or of the adapters and scaffolds within the kinome axis that orchestrates signaling can lead to diseases including malignant transformation and cancer.

In this Special Issue, we will examine kinases and their function in normal and in disease signaling, particularly in cancers and related disorders. Kinases are the most drug-targeted protein family for cancer therapeutics. Yet, we are coming to better understand their regulations and targeting by adaptors and molecular machinery that provide underappreciated targeting opportunities. This Special Issue will therefore also address current information regarding successes, failures, and promising future strategies for kinase targeting. We aim to explore kinase interactome mechanisms, specific inhibitors/approved drugs, and therapeutic impacts on cancer inflammatory signaling extending to potential impact on cancer immunity.

Dr. Zamal Ahmed
Dr. John A. Tainer
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 short 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. Cells 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 2700 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

  • kinase targets
  • proliferation
  • cell cycle checkpoints
  • DNA damage responses
  • inflammation
  • cancer immune response
  • phosphatase targets
  • adaptor and scaffold targets

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.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

37 pages, 14053 KiB  
Review
Advances in Cancer Therapy: A Comprehensive Review of CDK and EGFR Inhibitors
by Mohammed Hawash
Cells 2024, 13(19), 1656; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13191656 - 6 Oct 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3946
Abstract
Protein kinases have essential responsibilities in controlling several cellular processes, and their abnormal regulation is strongly related to the development of cancer. The implementation of protein kinase inhibitors has significantly transformed cancer therapy by modifying treatment strategies. These inhibitors have received substantial FDA [...] Read more.
Protein kinases have essential responsibilities in controlling several cellular processes, and their abnormal regulation is strongly related to the development of cancer. The implementation of protein kinase inhibitors has significantly transformed cancer therapy by modifying treatment strategies. These inhibitors have received substantial FDA clearance in recent decades. Protein kinases have emerged as primary objectives for therapeutic interventions, particularly in the context of cancer treatment. At present, 69 therapeutics have been approved by the FDA that target approximately 24 protein kinases, which are specifically prescribed for the treatment of neoplastic illnesses. These novel agents specifically inhibit certain protein kinases, such as receptor protein-tyrosine kinases, protein-serine/threonine kinases, dual-specificity kinases, nonreceptor protein-tyrosine kinases, and receptor protein-tyrosine kinases. This review presents a comprehensive overview of novel targets of kinase inhibitors, with a specific focus on cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The majority of the reviewed studies commenced with an assessment of cancer cell lines and concluded with a comprehensive biological evaluation of individual kinase targets. The reviewed articles provide detailed information on the structural features of potent anticancer agents and their specific activity, which refers to their ability to selectively inhibit cancer-promoting kinases including CDKs and EGFR. Additionally, the latest FDA-approved anticancer agents targeting these enzymes were highlighted accordingly. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop