Cancer persists as a global challenge necessitating continual innovation in treatment strategies. Despite significant advancements in comprehending the disease, cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, exerting substantial economic burdens on healthcare systems and societies. The emergence of drug resistance further complicates therapeutic efficacy, underscoring the urgent need for alternative approaches. Drug repurposing, characterized by the utilization of existing drugs for novel clinical applications, emerges as a promising avenue for addressing these challenges. Repurposed drugs, comprising FDA-approved (in other disease indications), generic, off-patent, and failed medications, offer distinct advantages including established safety profiles, cost-effectiveness, and expedited development timelines compared to novel drug discovery processes. Various methodologies, such as knowledge-based analyses, drug-centric strategies, and computational approaches, play pivotal roles in identifying potential candidates for repurposing. However, despite the promise of repurposed drugs, drug repositioning confronts formidable obstacles. Patenting issues, financial constraints associated with conducting extensive clinical trials, and the necessity for combination therapies to overcome the limitations of monotherapy pose significant challenges. This review provides an in-depth exploration of drug repurposing, covering a diverse array of approaches including experimental, re-engineering protein, nanotechnology, and computational methods. Each of these avenues presents distinct opportunities and obstacles in the pursuit of identifying novel clinical uses for established drugs. By examining the multifaceted landscape of drug repurposing, this review aims to offer comprehensive insights into its potential to transform cancer therapeutics.
癌症仍是全球性健康挑战，亟需持续创新治疗策略。尽管在疾病认知方面取得显著进展，癌症依然是全球主要致死原因之一，给医疗体系和社会带来沉重经济负担。耐药性的出现进一步降低了治疗效果，凸显了对替代疗法的迫切需求。药物重定位——即利用现有药物治疗新适应症——成为应对这些挑战的重要途径。相较于新药研发，重定位药物（包括已获FDA批准用于其他适应症的药物、仿制药、专利过期药及研发失败的药物）具有独特优势：安全性数据完善、成本效益高且研发周期短。基于知识的分析、以药物为中心的策略及计算方法等多种研究手段，在识别潜在重定位候选药物中发挥着关键作用。然而，尽管重定位药物前景广阔，其发展仍面临多重障碍：专利问题、开展大规模临床试验的资金压力，以及为克服单药治疗局限性而需采用的联合疗法等均构成重大挑战。本综述深入探讨药物重定位领域，涵盖实验方法、蛋白质重构技术、纳米技术及计算模型等多种策略。这些途径在探索已上市药物新临床用途的过程中，各自呈现出独特的机遇与挑战。通过系统梳理药物重定位的多维发展图景，本文旨在全面阐释其变革癌症治疗模式的潜力。
Revitalizing Cancer Treatment: Exploring the Role of Drug Repurposing
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家