BioCentury
ARTICLE | Preclinical News

Targeting tumor cilia could reverse resistance to kinase inhibitors

June 7, 2018 11:00 PM UTC

A Cell Reports study from Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) researchers and colleagues identified cilia on tumor cells as a new, potentially universal target for sensitizing drug-resistant cells to kinase inhibitors. The research suggests inhibiting fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) -- which regulates cilia length -- or other cilia-promoting pathways could improve the efficacy of kinase inhibitors.

Primary cilia are sensory organelles that sit on the cell surface and detect chemical stimuli. Research suggests these organelles might play an important role in cancer cell survival for some tumor types, and several oncogenes, including the kinase EGFR and KRAS (K-Ras), reside in the organelles...