Developing FGFR inhibitors as potential anti-cancer agents]

Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) family is a sequentially highly related subgroup of membrane proteins consisting of four tyrosine kinase type enzyme: FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3 and FGFR4. These are kinases of great interest in a wide spectrum of physiological processes such as tissue repair via controlling cell proliferation. As initiatiors of cell proliferation, in some cases they have leading roles in several types of cancer, eg. breast cancer, pancreas cancer, gastric tumors and multiple myeloma via overexpression and/or mutation. This phenomenon makes them promising targets for drug development in order to develop signal transduction therapies based on small molecule FGFR inhibitors. We have developed two main groups of lead molecules: compounds with benzotiophene and oxindole cores utilizing numerous methods from in silico modelling via in vitro biochemichal assays and testing on relevant cell lines to cytotoxicity assays.