Drug functional remapping: a new promise for tumor immunotherapy

作者：Jiayi Dong, Ting Su, Jun Wu, Xiang Yu, Minghan Song, Canfeng He, Lijuan Shao, Yu-Bin Yang, Size Chen · 发表于：Frontiers in Oncology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fonc.2025.1519355 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers、Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Research、Immune Cell Function and Interaction

The research and development of new anti-cancer drugs face challenges such as high costs, lengthy development cycles, and limited data on side effects. In contrast, the clinical safety and side effects of traditional drugs have been well established through long-term use. The development or repurposing of traditional drugs with potential applications in cancer treatment offers an economical, feasible, and promising strategy for new drug development. This article reviews the novel applications of traditional drugs in tumor immunotherapy, discussing how they can enhance tumor treatment efficacy through functional repositioning, while also reducing development time and costs. Recent advancements in cancer immunotherapy have revolutionized treatment options, but resistance to ICIs remains a significant challenge. Drug repurposing has emerged as a promising strategy to identify novel agents that can enhance the efficacy of immunotherapies by overcoming ICI resistance. A study suggests that drug repositioning has the potential to modulate immune cell activity or alter the tumor microenvironment, thereby circumventing the resistance mechanisms associated with immune checkpoint blockade. This approach provides a rapid and cost-effective pathway for identifying therapeutic candidates that can be quickly transitioned into clinical trials. To improve the effectiveness of tumor immunotherapy, it is crucial to explore systematic methods for identifying repurposed drug candidates. Methods ...