Repositioned alpha-1 adrenoceptor blockers as anti-tumor drugs

Purpose

Drug development has often occurred serendipitously, rather than by using rational approaches. Drug repositioning is an approach that can exploit serendipitous features of a licensed drug.

Study selection and results

Drug repositioning has mainly been used to develop anti-tumor drugs. There are two approaches, drug-based and non-drug-based. The drug-based method develops new drugs using information related to drug function, cohort studies, or side effects. This approach identified anti-tumor drugs, including alpha-1 blockers, HIV-1 protease inhibitors, and metformin. On the other hand, the non-drug-based approach aims to identify drugs using drug libraries and an appropriate assay for each disease. This approach is similar to traditional drug development methods.

Discussions and conclusions

Drug repositioning approaches have enabled our group and others to identify novel anti-tumor drugs. Therefore, drug repositioning can be useful in the development of promising anticancer therapies.