Thalidomide-analogue biology: Immunological, molecular and epigenetic targets in cancer therapy

Abstract

Thalidomide and its analogues (lenalidomide and pomalidomide) are small molecule glutamic acid derivatives of the immunomodulatory drug (IMiD) class. In addition to the immuno-adjuvant and anti-inflammatory properties that define an IMiD, the thalidomide analogues demonstrate an overlapping and diverse range of biological activities, including anti-angiogenic, teratogenic and epigenetic effects. Importantly, the IMiDs possess anti-cancer activity with selectivity for molecularly defined subgroups of hematological malignancies, specifically mature B-cell neoplasms and myelodysplasia with deletion of chromosome 5q. Emerging insight into the pathophysiological drivers of these IMiD-responsive d..