title: Proteins, drug targets and the mechanisms they control: the simple truth about complex networks.
abstract: Realizing the promise of molecularly targeted inhibitors for cancer therapy will require a new level of knowledge about how a drug target is wired into the control circuitry of a complex cellular network. Here we review general homeostatic principles of cellular networks that enable the cell to be resilient in the face of molecular perturbations, while at the same time being sensitive to subtle input signals. Insights into such mechanisms may facilitate the development of combination therapies that take advantage of the cellular control circuitry, with the aim of achieving higher efficacy at a lower drug dosage and with a reduced probability of drug-resistance development.
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, 10900 University Boulevard, Manassas, Virginia 20109, USA. raraujo@gmu.edu
authors.forename: Robyn P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: Lance A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Liotta
authors.forename: Emanuel F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Petricoin
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D040081:Protein Array Analysis; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins