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Nature Chemical Biology 2, 63–64 (1 February 2006) | doi:10.1038/nchembio0206-63

Inhibitors of Bcr-abl... breaking new ground again

Jeffrey F Ohren & Judith S Sebolt-Leopold

The clinical success of imatinib (STI-571, Gleevec), a potent and selective inhibitor of the fusion protein Bcr-abl, for use in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) heralded a new era of targeted molecular medicines. The ability of cancer cells to outsmart the new generation of customized drugs is reflected in the high incidence of resistance to imatinib that often develops in patients with advanced CML.