Glivec (STI571, imatinib), a rationally developed, targeted anticancer drug

• Published in: Nature reviews. Drug discovery Vol. 1; no. 7; pp. 493 - 502
• Main Authors: Capdeville, Renaud, Buchdunger, Elisabeth, Zimmermann, Juerg, Matter, Alex
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.07.2002
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Benzamides; Chronic myeloid leukemia; Complications and side effects; Drug therapy; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl; Humans; Imatinib Mesylate; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive - drug therapy; Pharmaceutical industry; Piperazines - chemistry; Piperazines - pharmacology; Piperazines - therapeutic use; Product development; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - antagonists & inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit - drug effects; Pyrimidines - chemistry; Pyrimidines - pharmacology; Pyrimidines - therapeutic use; Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor - antagonists & inhibitors; United States
• ISSN: 1474-1776; 1474-1784; 1474-1784
• DOI: 10.1038/nrd839

In the early 1980s, it became apparent that the work of pioneers such as Robert Weinberg, Mariano Barbacid and many others in identifying cancer-causing genes in humans was opening the door to a new era in anticancer research. Motivated by this, and by dissatisfaction with the limited efficacy and tolerability of available anticancer modalities, a drug discovery programme was initiated with the aim of rationally developing targeted anticancer therapies. Here, we describe how this programme led to the discovery and continuing development of Glivec (Gleevec in the United States), the first selective tyrosine-kinase inhibitor to be approved for the treatment of a cancer.