Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy regimens have shown limited antitumor effects for PDAC, and combination targets are urgently needed to restrict chemoresistance. Mechanistically, the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor (IN10018) could restrict chemoresistance to Gem of PDAC by targeting SLC7A11-mediated ferroptosis through PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. For tumor microenvironment, IN10018 reduced the abundance of mesenchymal components and enhanced CD8+ T cell infiltration.

The authors discuss adverse event management and the implications for integration into routine clinical practice. Clinicians caring for patients with low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma can use the drug knowledge and evidence outlined in this review to assist with implementing avutometinib and defactinib therapy.

Notably, LY294002 (a PI3K inhibitor) and Anisomycin (a JNK activator) partially reversed the anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of PTE, respectively. This study provides the first integrated evidence combining network pharmacology and experimental validation that PTE protects against LIRI by modulating the PI3K/AKT and JNK/c-Jun signaling pathways, offering novel pharmacological insights into its translational potential in LIRI.

P2, N=36, Recruiting, Washington University School of Medicine | Not yet recruiting --> Recruiting

FGFR2 is lowly expressed in DFU and can exert a protective effect by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway. It is a candidate diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for DFU.

Mechanistically, APOE overexpression significantly activated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and this effect was effectively reversed by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Consistently, APOE overexpression enhanced tumor growth in vivo. These findings indicate that APOE promotes glioma progression through nuclear activity and activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, highlighting APOE-related signaling as a potential therapeutic target in glioma.

P2, N=50, Recruiting, Emory University | Trial completion date: Sep 2028 --> Sep 2029 | Trial primary completion date: Mar 2028 --> Mar 2029

A series of derivatives (D1-D15) was designed and synthesized by incorporating a hydrazone unit into the TAE-226 scaffold...Mechanistically, compound D12 effectively suppressed FAK phosphorylation and downstream MAPK/ERK and AKT/mTOR signaling, leading to inhibition of colony formation, migration, cell cycle progression, and induction of apoptosis. Compound D12 is a novel FAK inhibitor with improved selectivity and potent antitumor activity, representing a promising lead candidate for cancer therapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), and ovarian cancer (OC) cells with cisplatin-induced DNA damage were treated with lactate at a concentration gradient, Endothelial cell-specific molecule 1 (ESM1) shRNA, ESM1 overexpression plasmid, or the Protein Kinase B (AKT) Serine/Threonine Kinase 1 (Akt1) inhibitor LY294002. Analysis of tumor patient samples further validates the negative correlation between ESM1 and CD8+ T cell levels in cancer patients. In summary, lactate activates the Akt1-Murine Double Minute 2 (MDM2)-p53 pathway via ESM1 to suppress DDR, while the reduction of DDR-generated dsDNA inactivates the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-Stimulator of Interferon Genes (cGAS-STING) pathway, thereby inhibiting CD8+ T cell immune infiltration.

However, PRDX4 overexpression showed opposite effects, which were partly reversed by the ferroptosis inhibitor, ferrostatin-1 and the inducer erastin. Most crucially, PRDX4 depletion-mediated inactivation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway could be rescued by 740 Y-P (a PI3K activator), whereas PRDX4 overexpression triggered the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which could be reversed by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Collectively, the data suggest that PRXD4 suppresses ferroptosis in ESCC cells by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, suggesting that targeting PRDX4 may be a novel strategy for treating patients with ESCC.

Notably, these findings were recapitulated through pharmacological inhibition of FAK signaling using Defactinib, an FAK-specific inhibitor. Taken together, our findings reveal that bone-marrow ssDNA may represent a bone microenvironment factor that captures and promotes PCa homing to bone, further suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for mitigating bone metastasis.

In this study, we identified defactinib, a specific inhibitor of FAK as a novel ferroptosis suppressors...Notably, elevated FAK/SRC-JNK signaling sensitizes cancer cells to ferroptosis-inducing therapies, while inhibition of the FAK/SRC-JNK signaling pathway protects against acute pancreatitis by suppressing ferroptosis. These findings highlight the central role of FAK/ SRC-JNK signaling in controlling ferroptotic cell death and underscore the therapeutic potential of targeting FAK/ SRC-JNK mediated ferroptosis, offering new avenues for the treatment of cancer and acute pancreatitis.