Conquering RAS: From Biology to Cancer Therapy

Conquering RAS: From Biology to Cancer Therapy provides introductory knowledge on how modern RAS biology is taking shape in light of newer technological development. Each chapter is written in a manner that emphasizes simplicity and readability for both new investigators and established researchers. While RAS biology has been intensively studied for more than three decades, we are yet to see any effective therapeutics that could interfere in the signaling cascade regulated by this master oncogene.

The book covers topics ranging from basic RAS biology, to translational biology and drug discovery applications. These topics will be appealing to basic researchers working in labs who seek deeper understanding of the modern concepts in RAS research. On the other side, the oncologist at the patient’s bedside will find the book useful as they routinely face the daunting task of treating patients that predominantly have a disease driven by oncogenic KRAS.

Brings together wide ranging topics in RAS basic and translational biology for the scientific and clinical communitiesShowcases recent advancements in RAS research under one comprehensive volumeIncludes video clips, color illustrations, and important website links to facilitate a clear understanding of RAS in cancer research

SECTION I: RAS CANCER BIOLOGY 1. Ras and RASSF effector proteins / Jessica N. Mezzanotte and Geoffrey J. Clark 2. Ras and the Hippo pathway in cancer / Eric O'Neill 3. The Many Roles of RalGTPases in Ras-driven Cancer / David F. Kashatus 4. The biology, prognostic relevance and targeted treatment of Ras pathway positive childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia / Julie Anne Elizabeth Irving 5. Oncogenic KRAS and the Inflammatory Microenvironment in Pancreatic Cancer / Hui-Hua Chang, Andrea Schmidt and Guido Eibl 6. Activation of Ras by Post-Translational Modifications / Shengyan Xiang, Wenlong Bai, Gerold Bepler and Xiaohong Zhang 7. Cross talk between Snail and mutant K-ras contributes to pancreatic cancer progression / Christina R. Chow, Kazumi Ebine, Holly Z. Hattaway, Krishan Kumar and Hidayatullah G. Munshi

SECTION II: NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES TARGETING RAS AND RELATED PATHWAYS 8. Search for Inhibitors of Ras-Driven Cancers / Adam B. Keeton and Gary A. Piazza 9. GTP-competitive inhibitors of RAS family members / John C. Hunter and Kenneth D. Westover 10. Next generation strategies to target RAF / Darrin D. Stuart 11. Targeting metabolic vulnerabilities in Ras-mutant cells / Aparna D Rao and Grant A McArthur 12.  Blocking SIAH proteolysis, an important K-RAS vulnerability, to control and eradicate K-RAS-driven metastatic cancer / Robert Van Sciver, Monicah M. Njogu, Andrew J. Isbell, Justin J. Odanga, Minglei Bian, Elizaveta Svyatova, Lauren L. Siewertsz van Reesema, Vasilena Zheleva, Jamie L. Eisner, Jamie K. Bruflat, Rebecca L. Schmidt, Angela M. Tang-Tan, and Amy H. Tang 13. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1 and ERK2) Inhibitors / Ahmad Samatar 14. Targeting Rho, Rac, CDC42 GTPase effector p21 activated kinases in cancer / Asfar Sohail Azmi; Philip A. Philip