New insights into RAS biology reinvigorate interest in mathematical modeling of RAS signaling

Keesha E. Erickson, Oleksii S. Rukhlenko, Richard G. Posner, William S. Hlavacek, Boris N. Kholodenko

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

RAS is the most frequently mutated gene across human cancers, but developing inhibitors of mutant RAS has proven to be challenging. Given the difficulties of targeting RAS directly, drugs that impact the other components of pathways where mutant RAS operates may potentially be effective. However, the system-level features, including different localizations of RAS isoforms, competition between downstream effectors, and interlocking feedback and feed-forward loops, must be understood to fully grasp the opportunities and limitations of inhibiting specific targets. Mathematical modeling can help us discern the system-level impacts of these features in normal and cancer cells. New technologies enable the acquisition of experimental data that will facilitate development of realistic models of oncogenic RAS behavior. In light of the wealth of empirical data accumulated over decades of study and the advancement of experimental methods for gathering new data, modelers now have the opportunity to advance progress toward realization of targeted treatment for mutant RAS-driven cancers.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)162-173
Number of pages12
JournalSeminars in Cancer Biology
Volume54
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2019

Keywords

  • ERK cascade
  • Mathematical modeling
  • Mechanistic modeling
  • RAS
  • Systems biology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cancer Research

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