A new study from Fred Hutch Cancer Center has found that approved kinase inhibitor drugs may be effective against a much wider range of cancers than originally designed for. The research, led by rare cancer expert Taran Gujral, PhD, focused on kinases—enzymes that regulate cell signaling and are often mutated in cancer.
Using a computational approach, the team screened over 200 FDA-approved kinase inhibitors against more than 300 cancer cell lines. They discovered that many drugs showed unexpected activity against cancers with different kinase mutations, potentially expanding treatment options for patients with rare or hard-to-treat tumors.
“We care more about what a cancer drug can do than what it is designed to do,” Gujral said in a statement. The findings suggest that repurposing existing drugs could accelerate access to therapies for patients who currently have limited options.
The study was published in a peer-reviewed journal and has been verified by independent experts. Fred Hutch is now planning clinical trials to test some of these repurposed drugs in patients with specific rare cancers.
