Identifying Molecular Chaperones as Therapeutic Targets for Cancer: A Mini Review

Cancer is the name given to a complex set of diseases that follow a common pathway of progression i.e., localized proliferation, invasion and metastases. The disease is common world over and the number of affected people (14.9 million in 2013) is projected to increase further in coming decades. The treatment regimen at present is a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation. Significant numbers of patients exhibit resistance to these modalities and experience relapses. The cost of treatment, emotional burden and effect on standard quality of life due to cancer is huge. Research over last few decades has broadened our understanding of cancer. At the molecular level detailed studies of many cancers have resulted in characterization of proteins for efficient and targeted therapeutic drug design. Molecular chaperones are such groups that have been targeted over last few decades for development of anticancer compounds. This review is aimed at compiling the information relevant to this field.