We continue our series of posts in the Biologics campaign – now it is about Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK).

At Chemspace ALK proteins, RNAs, highly selective antibodies, and kits are available for purchasing!

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase encoded by the ALK gene and a member of the superfamily of insulin receptors. It was discovered as a fusion partner in the (2;5)-chromosomal translocation in anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) in the earlier ’90s. In 2007, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was associated with ALK rearrangement. Now five tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting ALK are approved by the FDA. But it is well known that cancers tend to develop resistance mechanisms, so clinical trials with other drug candidates are ongoing.

You can find more information on the recent clinical trials of ALK-TKIs here.

As you might know, covalent inhibitors now attract more and more attention in drug research in dealing with insufficient activity and drug resistance in cancer treatment. So, we offer you to check out this paper describing the development of a rationally designed inhibitor of ALK which covalently binds a cysteine located outside the active site. This drug candidate showed significant improvement in anticancer activities and potential antidrug-resistant activity compared with existing drugs for the treatment of NSCLC.

More information about this research is here.