DNA Damage Response (DDR) defect in cells is a major driver of tumorigenesis. Defect in DDR genes contribute to wide-spread genomic instability which is further exacerbated in cancer cells leading to unsustainable DNA damage which ultimately results in cellular death. Over the past decade alone, a significant effort has been made to understand the DDR field in-depth and identify its various players. PARP and small molecule inhibitors targeting PARP, are one such example that have now successfully transitioned into clinical practice and have paved the way for more novel anti-cancer therapies that target DDR pathways. Targeted therapy based on inhibiting the DDR in cancers now offer the potential for a greater therapeutic window by tailoring treatment to patients with tumor lacking specific DDR functions.
Under this research topic, we would like to highlight and bring forth new studies/articles that focus particularly on the recent advances in the DDR space. Our aim is to expand our current understanding about the DDR field and the various genes and proteins involved, to investigate the possibility of using this cancer vulnerability to develop new therapeutic approaches. Exploitation of the DDR space could become an important pathway for treating cancer, outside of the traditional realm of anti-cancer therapies of radiation and chemotherapy.
We are particularly interested in submissions that cover (but are not limited to)
• The importance of DDR in cancer.
• Identification of novel druggable DDR targets.
• Development of novel DDR inhibitors.
• Strategies to increase efficacy of current existing DDR specific targeted therapies.
• Synthetic lethality: As a principle to design new anti-cancer therapies
DNA Damage Response (DDR) defect in cells is a major driver of tumorigenesis. Defect in DDR genes contribute to wide-spread genomic instability which is further exacerbated in cancer cells leading to unsustainable DNA damage which ultimately results in cellular death. Over the past decade alone, a significant effort has been made to understand the DDR field in-depth and identify its various players. PARP and small molecule inhibitors targeting PARP, are one such example that have now successfully transitioned into clinical practice and have paved the way for more novel anti-cancer therapies that target DDR pathways. Targeted therapy based on inhibiting the DDR in cancers now offer the potential for a greater therapeutic window by tailoring treatment to patients with tumor lacking specific DDR functions.
Under this research topic, we would like to highlight and bring forth new studies/articles that focus particularly on the recent advances in the DDR space. Our aim is to expand our current understanding about the DDR field and the various genes and proteins involved, to investigate the possibility of using this cancer vulnerability to develop new therapeutic approaches. Exploitation of the DDR space could become an important pathway for treating cancer, outside of the traditional realm of anti-cancer therapies of radiation and chemotherapy.
We are particularly interested in submissions that cover (but are not limited to)
• The importance of DDR in cancer.
• Identification of novel druggable DDR targets.
• Development of novel DDR inhibitors.
• Strategies to increase efficacy of current existing DDR specific targeted therapies.
• Synthetic lethality: As a principle to design new anti-cancer therapies
