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Am J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2012;2(4):418-431
Review Article
Non-invasive imaging of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling in cancer
Snehal M Gaikwad, Pritha Ray
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra,
India
Received June 8, 2012; Accepted July 17, 2012; Epub October 15, 2012; Published October 30, 2012
Abstract: Platinum based drugs are widely used to treat various types of cancers by inducing DNA damage mediated cytotoxicity.
However, acquirement of chemoresistance towards platinum based drugs is a common phenomenon and a major hurdle in
combating the relapse of the disease. Oncogenesis and chemoresistance are multifactorial maladies which often involve
deregulation of one of the prime cell survival pathways, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling cascade. The genetic alterations related to this
pathway are often responsible for initiation and/or maintenance of carcinogenesis. Molecular components of this pathway are long
being recognized as major targets for therapeutic intervention and are now also have emerged as potential tools for diagnosis of
cancer. To develop novel therapeutics against the key molecules of PI3K pathway, stringent validation is required using both in-vitro
and in-vivo models. Repetitive and non-invasive molecular imaging techniques, a relatively recent field in biomedical imaging hold
great promises for monitoring such diagnosis and therapy. In this review, we first introduced the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and its role
in acquirement of chemoresistance in various cancers. Further we described how non-invasive molecular imaging approaches are
sought to use this PI3K signalling axis for the therapeutics and diagnosis. A theranostic approach using various imaging modalities
should be the future of PI3K signalling based drug development venture. (ajnmmi1206003).
Keywords: PI3K signalling, platinum based chemoresistance, repetitive and non-invasive molecular imaging techniques, PET
imaging, bioluminescence imaging, Akt sensor, fluorescence imaging
Address all correspondence to:
Dr. Pritha Ray
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC)
Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, 410210.
E-mail: snehal1107@rediffmail.com or E-mail: pray@actrec.gov.in
Review Article
Non-invasive imaging of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling in cancer
Snehal M Gaikwad, Pritha Ray
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra,
India
Received June 8, 2012; Accepted July 17, 2012; Epub October 15, 2012; Published October 30, 2012
Abstract: Platinum based drugs are widely used to treat various types of cancers by inducing DNA damage mediated cytotoxicity.
However, acquirement of chemoresistance towards platinum based drugs is a common phenomenon and a major hurdle in
combating the relapse of the disease. Oncogenesis and chemoresistance are multifactorial maladies which often involve
deregulation of one of the prime cell survival pathways, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling cascade. The genetic alterations related to this
pathway are often responsible for initiation and/or maintenance of carcinogenesis. Molecular components of this pathway are long
being recognized as major targets for therapeutic intervention and are now also have emerged as potential tools for diagnosis of
cancer. To develop novel therapeutics against the key molecules of PI3K pathway, stringent validation is required using both in-vitro
and in-vivo models. Repetitive and non-invasive molecular imaging techniques, a relatively recent field in biomedical imaging hold
great promises for monitoring such diagnosis and therapy. In this review, we first introduced the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and its role
in acquirement of chemoresistance in various cancers. Further we described how non-invasive molecular imaging approaches are
sought to use this PI3K signalling axis for the therapeutics and diagnosis. A theranostic approach using various imaging modalities
should be the future of PI3K signalling based drug development venture. (ajnmmi1206003).
Keywords: PI3K signalling, platinum based chemoresistance, repetitive and non-invasive molecular imaging techniques, PET
imaging, bioluminescence imaging, Akt sensor, fluorescence imaging
Address all correspondence to:
Dr. Pritha Ray
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC)
Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, 410210.
E-mail: snehal1107@rediffmail.com or E-mail: pray@actrec.gov.in
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