Novel Medicinal Chemistry Strategies Targeting CDK5 for Drug Discovery

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) protein plays an important role not only in the central nervous system but also in the periphery, including immune response, regulation of insulin secretion, and cancer development and progression. Consequently, targeting the CDK5 protein is a potential strategy for the treatment of many diseases, especially cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. To date, numerous pan-CDK inhibitors have entered clinical trials. Nevertheless, limited clinical efficacy and severe adverse effects have prompted the application of new techniques to optimize clinical efficacy and minimize adverse events. In this Perspective, we highlight the protein properties, biofunctions, relevant signaling pathways, and associations with cancer development and proliferation of CDK5, and analyze the clinical status of pan-CDK inhibitors and the preclinical status of CDK5-specific inhibitors. In addition, CDK5-selective inhibitors, protein–protein interaction inhibitors, proteolytic-targeting chimera (PROTAC) degraders, and dual-target CDK5 inhibitors are discussed.