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Reviews

The application of cassette dosing for pharmacokinetic screening in small-molecule cancer drug discovery

Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, Haddow Laboratories, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom

Requests for reprints: Paul Workman, Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, Haddow Laboratories, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5NG, United Kingdom. E-mail: paul.workman{at}icr.ac.uk

Pharmacokinetic evaluation is an essential component of drug discovery and should be conducted early in the process so that those compounds with the best chance of success are prioritized and progressed. However, pharmacokinetic analysis has become a serious bottleneck during the ‘hit-to-lead’ and lead optimization phases due to the availability of new targets and the large numbers of compounds resulting from advances in synthesis and screening technologies. Cassette dosing, which involves the simultaneous administration of several compounds to a single animal followed by rapid sample analysis by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, was developed to increase the throughput of in vivo pharmacokinetic screening. Although cassette dosing is advantageous in terms of resources and throughput, there are possible complications associated with this approach, such as the potential for compound interactions. Following an overview of the cassette dosing literature, this article focuses on the application of the technique in anticancer drug discovery. Specific examples are discussed, including the evaluation of cassette dosing to assess pharmacokinetic properties in the development of cyclin-dependent kinase and heat shock protein 90 inhibitors. Subject to critical analysis and validation in each case, the use of cassette dosing is recommended in appropriate chemical series to enhance the efficiency of drug discovery and reduce animal usage. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(2):428–40]

Note: Current address for N.F. Smith: National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland. N.F. Smith was a recipient of a Cancer Research UK Ph.D. Studentship and P. Workman is a Cancer Research UK Life Fellow.

Received 9/12/06; revised 12/ 1/06; accepted 12/21/06.