Targeting mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) for health and diseases

• Published in: Drug discovery today Vol. 12; no. 3; pp. 112 - 124
• Main Authors: Tsang, Chi Kwan, Qi, Haiyan, Liu, Leroy F., Zheng, X.F. Steven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Aging - drug effects; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic Disease - drug therapy; Drug Delivery Systems; Drug Design; General pharmacology; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents - pharmacology; Life Expectancy; Medical sciences; Pharmaceutical technology. Pharmaceutical industry; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Protein Kinases - drug effects; Protein Kinases - physiology; Sirolimus - agonists; Sirolimus - pharmacology; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; Antineoplastic agent; Drug; Pharmaceutical technology; Targeting; Pathophysiology; Sirolimus; Enzyme; Transferases; Lactone; Macrolide; Research and development; Macrocycle; Antibiotic; Target; Lifetime; mammalian target of rapamycin; Protein kinase; Analog; Inhibitor; Protein synthesis inhibitor; Immunosuppressive agent
• ISSN: 1359-6446; 1878-5832
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2006.12.008

The macrolide rapamycin is used clinically to treat graft rejection and restenosis. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a central controller of cellular and organism growth that integrates nutrient and hormonal signals, and regulates diverse cellular processes. New studies have linked mTOR to several human diseases including cancer, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders. Recent data have also revealed that mTOR is involved in the regulation of lifespan and in age-related diseases. These findings demonstrate the importance of growth control in the pathology of major diseases and overall human health, and underscore the therapeutic potential of the mTOR pathway.
Promising therapeutic potential of drugs targeting mTOR pathway