BCL2: A promising cancer therapeutic target

A remarkable characteristic of majority of cancer cells is that, they fail to undergo apoptosis, which in turn confers them a survival advantage over normal cells. Targeted cancer therapy aims at disrupting the functions of proteins that play an important role during cancer progression. Antiapoptotic protein, BCL2, is one such protein that is highly upregulated in many cancers as compared to normal cells, making it an ideal target for cancer therapy. Although, several BCL2 targeting agents have been investigated over the past 30 years, very few have exhibited any clinical significance. This mini-review outlines a road map of existing BCL2 inhibitors and their relevance in treating cancer, and discusses potential strategies for future research with respect to BCL2 specific cancer therapy.