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Therapeutic Targeting of the JAK / STAT Pathway
Author(s) -
Aittomäki Saara,
Pesu Marko
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
basic and clinical pharmacology and toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1742-7843
pISSN - 1742-7835
DOI - 10.1111/bcpt.12164
Subject(s) - tofacitinib , janus kinase , stat , jak stat signaling pathway , ruxolitinib , cancer research , tyrosine kinase , cytokine , stat protein , signal transduction , stat3 , medicine , immunology , biology , pharmacology , rheumatoid arthritis , microbiology and biotechnology , myelofibrosis , bone marrow
Antibodies that block cytokine function provide a powerful therapeutic tool especially for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Cytokines are a group of small hydrophilic glycoproteins that bind their receptors on the cell surface and subsequently activate intracellular signalling cascades, such as the JAK / STAT pathway. A bulk of evidence has demonstrated that genetic mutations in signalling molecules can cause immunodeficiencies and malignant cell growth. As a result, several drug companies have begun to develop therapeutics that inhibit the function of JAK tyrosine kinases. Currently, two JAK inhibitors, tofacitinib and ruxolitinib, are used in the clinic for treating rheumatoid arthritis and myeloproliferative diseases, respectively. Inhibiting JAK function has been shown to efficiently prevent the uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells and to harness overly active immune cells. In the future, other small molecule compounds are likely to come into clinical use, and intense work is ongoing to develop inhibitors that specifically target the constitutively active mutant JAK s. This MiniReview will summarize the basic features of the JAK / STAT pathway, its role in human disease and the therapeutic potential of JAK / STAT inhibitors.