Strategies and techniques for preclinical therapeutic targeting of PI3K in oncology: where do we stand in 2024?

ABSTRACT

Introduction

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is an important signaling pathway in eukaryotic cells that is activated in a variety of cancers and is also associated with treatment resistance. This signaling pathway is an important target for anticancer therapy and holds great promise for research. At the same time PI3K inhibitors have a general problem that they have unavoidable toxic side effects.

Areas covered

This review provides an explanation of the role of PI3K in the development and progression of cancer, including several important mutations, and a table listing the cancers caused by these mutations. We discuss the current landscape of PI3K inhibitors in preclinical and clinical trials, address the mechanisms of resistance to PI3K inhibition along with their associated toxic effects, and highlight significant advancements in preclinical research of this field. Furthermore, based on our study and comprehension of PI3K, we provide a recapitulation of the key lessons learned from the research process and propose potential measures for improvement that could prove valuable.

Expert opinion

The PI3K pathway is a biological pathway of great potential value. However, the reduction of its toxic side effects and combination therapies need to be further investigated.

KEYWORDS:

• PI3K
• cancer
• PI3K inhibitor
• preclinical research
• resistance

Article highlights

• The PI3K pathway is crucial for regulating cell growth, motility, survival, metabolism, and angiogenesis. This review provides a comprehensive overview of its role and mechanisms.

• The PI3K pathway is deregulated in various cancers, affecting their development and progression. The most common abnormalities involve PTEN loss, PI3K mutation/amplification, and Akt activation/mutations. The review summarizes these abnormalities and categorizes PI3K inhibitors.

• Newly developed PI3K-based drugs face challenges like drug resistance and toxic effects. Further in-depth research is needed to address these issues and explore the full potential of targeting the PI3K pathway in cancer treatment.

Declaration of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the National Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars and National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was funded by the National Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars [32122052] and National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant22377085].