Repurposing existing therapeutics, its importance in oncology drug development: Kinases as a potential target

Abstract

Repurposing the large arsenal of existing non-cancer drugs is an attractive proposition to expand the clinical pipelines for cancer therapeutics. The earlier successes in repurposing resulted primarily from serendipitous findings, but more recently, drug or target-centric systematic identification of repurposing opportunities continues to rise. Kinases are one of the most sought-after anti-cancer drug targets over the last three decades. There are many non-cancer approved drugs that can inhibit kinases as “off-targets” as well as many existing kinase inhibitors that can target new additional kinases in cancer. Identifying cancer-associated kinase inhibitors through mining commercial drug databases or new kinase targets for existing inhibitors through comprehensive kinome profiling can offer more effective trial-ready options to rapidly advance drugs for clinical validation. In this review, we argue that drug repurposing is an important approach in modern drug development for cancer therapeutics. We have summarized the advantages of repurposing, the rationale behind this approach together with key barriers and opportunities in cancer drug development. We have also included examples of non-cancer drugs that inhibit kinases or are associated with kinase signalling as a basis for their anti-cancer action.