Rewriting Cancer Therapeutics: Integrating Molecular Targets, Natural Compounds, and Metabolic Intervention

Cancer research continues to evolve as scientists strive to unravel the complexities of tumor biology, molecular signaling, and metabolic adaptations. Traditional cancer therapies often lack precision, resulting in toxicity and limited efficacy, while cancer cells frequently adapt through intricate signaling and metabolic reprogramming. Recent breakthroughs have illuminated previously unappreciated molecular targets and demonstrated that tumors often rely on unique metabolic dependencies, presenting an opportunity to intervene where cancer is most vulnerable. Pharmacological advances, such as the development of small-molecule inhibitors, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), molecular glues, and bioactive natural compounds, offer new ways to selectively target tumors with less collateral damage to healthy tissue. However, despite these encouraging developments, the relentless evolution of cancer resistance and the heterogeneity of tumor microenvironments remain significant hurdles. Ongoing debates focus on the integration of molecular and metabolic targeting with immunotherapies and microenvironmental modulation, while recent studies underscore the necessity to better understand the mechanisms underlying therapeutic resistance and metabolic plasticity.This Research Topic aims to unite researchers and clinicians devoted to forging smarter, safer, and more effective cancer treatments by dissecting both the molecular circuits and metabolic weak points that cancers exploit. In focusing on agents designed to interfere with unique oncogenic pathways and cancer cell metabolism, the initiative seeks to inspire collaborative efforts and innovative translational research. The primary objective is to find and exploit vulnerabilities that set cancer cells apart, leveraging small molecules, natural products, and rational metabolic interventions to develop therapies that halt tumor progression at its core. By illuminating mechanisms of action and strategies to overcome resistance, this Research Topic hopes to generate fresh avenues for combination therapies and next-generation cancer treatment paradigms.This Research Topic welcomes submissions across basic, translational, and early clinical research that focus on the convergence of molecular targeting and cancer metabolism. The range covers both the identification and mechanistic understanding of novel targets and pathways, as well as the development and application of innovative therapeutic agents. We are especially interested in work that pairs molecular intervention with metabolic rewiring, and work that bridges these approaches with immunotherapy or microenvironment-focused strategies. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Discovery and validation of novel molecular targets and pathways underlying cancer development, progression, or therapy resistanceo Advancement of small-molecule therapeutics, including inhibitors, PROTACs, and molecular glues, with defined oncogenic targetso Exploration of natural products and derivatives with established anticancer mechanismso Metabolic targeting strategies encompassing glycolysis, OXPHOS, lipid, and amino acid metabolismo Mechanistic insights into therapy resistance and methods to overcome resistanceo Integration of molecular targeting, metabolic intervention, and immunotherapeutic approaches for improved efficacyPlease note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal. Topic editors: Saveg Yadav, TEJVEER SINGH, Konda Kumaraswami, Sumit Singh Verma Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77816/rewriting-cancer-therapeutics-integrating-molecular-targets-natural-compounds-and-metabolic-intervention