Can DNA Repair Genes be Targeted for Cancer Therapy?
Yes, targeting DNA repair pathways has emerged as a promising strategy in cancer therapy. PARP inhibitors are a class of drugs that inhibit the PARP enzyme, which is involved in single-strand DNA break repair. These inhibitors are particularly effective in tumors with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, as they exploit the concept of synthetic lethality. By blocking PARP, cancer cells with defective homologous recombination repair accumulate lethal DNA damage, leading to cell death.
