title: mTOR pathway in colorectal cancer: an update.
abstract: The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has emerged as a potential target for drug development, particularly due to the fact that it plays such a crucial role in cancer biology. In addition, next-generation mTOR inhibitors have become available, marking an exciting new phase in mTOR-based therapy. However, the verdict on their therapeutic effectiveness remains unclear. Here we review phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mTOR signaling as one of the primary mechanisms for sustaining tumor outgrowth and metastasis, recent advances in the development of mTOR inhibitors, and current studies addressing mTOR activation/inhibition in colorectal cancer (CRC). We will also discuss our recent comparative study of different mTOR inhibitors in a population of colon cancer stem cells (CSCs), and current major challenges for achieving individualized drug therapy using kinase inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Maria Giovanna
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Francipane
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lagasse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D057285:Precision Medicine; D015398:Signal Transduction; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases