Opioids are widely used to relieve the pain associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but tolerance and undesired effects often limit their use. EGFR is commonly amplified in oral cancer and its involvement in OSCC-associated pain and opioid tolerance was investigated through the sensitization of trigeminal ganglion cells, which are the main sensory neurons that innervate the face and mouth. For this purpose, they used the EGFR inhibitor AG-1478, which was tested in vitro as well as in in vivo in human OSCC and an orthotopic murine models.
Hetero Labs Ltd. has patented benzimidazole compounds acting as EGFR (HER1; erbB1) and its mutant inhibitors. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Wife-and-husband team, J. Jean Cui and Y. Peter Li, launched Blossomhill Therapeutics Inc. in mid-2020 to focus on next-generation, macrocyclic inhibitors against oncology targets. The couple had planned to take some time off to rest and do a little traveling, but then the pandemic hit. “This was a great time [to start a new company],” Cui told BioWorld. “Nothing to do but reading and thinking.”
Researchers from Chemdiv Inc. and Eilean Therapeutics LLC recently presented preclinical data on ZE77-0273, an AI-designed, reversible pan-EGFR inhibitor developed to address a key unmet need in the treatment of EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer.
