Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • NEWS AND VIEWS

Small molecule combats cancer-causing KRAS protein at last

A molecule has now been characterized that acts to inhibit a cancer-causing form of KRAS protein and stimulate the immune system. The inhibitor is one of the first of its kind to show anticancer activity in the clinic.
  1. Roy S. Herbst

    1. Roy S. Herbst is in the Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  2. Joseph Schlessinger

    1. Joseph Schlessinger is in the Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

Mutations in the gene KRAS are the most frequent drivers of tumour development across the spectrum of human cancers1. Despite this prevalence, mutant KRAS protein has remained an intractable therapeutic target. Writing in Nature, Canon et al.2 describe a small molecule that binds one form of mutant KRAS with high specificity and sensitivity, inhibiting the protein. The authors use animal models to analyse how the inhibitor works, and show that it can shrink tumours in patients. This is among the first evidence of a clinical response to a specific KRAS inhibitor.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 575, 294-295 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03242-8

References

  1. Sanchez-Vega, F. et al. Cell 173, 321–337 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Canon, J. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1694-1 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Lu, S., Jang, H., Nussinov, R. & Zhang, J. Sci. Rep. 6, 21949 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. AACR Project GENIE Consortium. Cancer Discov. 7, 818–831 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Herbst, R. S., Morgensztern, D. & Boshoff, C. Nature 553, 446–454 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Ostrem, J. M., Peters, U., Sos, M. L., Wells, J. A. & Shokat, K. M. Nature 503, 548–551 (2013).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Janes, M. R. et al. Cell 172, 578–589 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Patricelli, M. P. et al. Cancer Discov. 6, 316–329 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Fakih, M., O’Neil, B. & Price, T. J. J. Clin. Oncol. 37 (suppl.), 3003 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Govindan, R. et al. Ann. Oncol. 30 (Suppl. 5), mdz244.008 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Hallin, J. et al. Cancer Discov. https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-19-1167 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Competing Interests

R.S.H. has received honoraria from the following:

Consulting: Abbvie Pharmaceuticals, ARMO Biosciences, AstraZeneca, Biodesix, Bolt Biotherapeutics, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, EMD Serrano, Genentech/Roche, Genmab, Halozyme, Heat Biologics, IMAB Biopharma, Immunocore, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Loxo Oncology, Merck and Company, Midas Health Analytics, Nektar, Neon Therapeutics, NextCure, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Seattle Genetics, Shire PLC, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Symphogen, Takeda, Tesaro, Tocagen.

Research support: AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, Merck and Company.

He is a member of the board of directors (non-executive/ independent) for Junshi Pharmaceuticals.

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

  • Technician - Senior Technician in Cell and Molecular Biology

    APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: 24.05.2024 Human Technopole (HT) is a distinguished life science research institute founded and supported by the Italian ...

    Milan (IT)

    Human Technopole

  • Postdoctoral Fellow

    The Dubal Laboratory of Neuroscience and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) seeks postdoctoral fellows to investigate the ...

    San Francisco, California

    University of California, San Francsico

  • Postdoctoral Associate

    Houston, Texas (US)

    Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow

    Description Applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellow position at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, to participate...

    Toronto (City), Ontario (CA)

    Sinai Health

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate - Surgery

    Memphis, Tennessee

    St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (St. Jude)

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links