title: Progress towards direct inhibitors of Stat5 protein.
abstract: Abstract Molecular approaches to inhibit STAT5 signaling have been hailed as a viable targeted anticancer therapy. In particular, many drugs and drug candidates have been developed to successfully inhibit upstream effectors of STAT5 by indirectly targeting cell surface receptors and protein kinases (FLT-3, JAK2, and BCR-ABL). Indirect strategies have yielded potent agents, such as imatinib, AC2207, and EXEL823 which effectively silence STAT5 activity but which suffer from off-target effects and toxicity. This article will focus on reviewing the current literature pertaining to direct inhibitors of STAT5 protein and assess the prospects for a future STAT5-targeting therapeutic.
authors.forename: Abbarna A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cumaraswamy
authors.forename: Patrick T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Gunning