Pharmacological modulation of autophagy: Therapeutic potential and persisting obstacles

Lorenzo Galluzzi, José Manuel Bravo-San Pedro, Beth Levine, Douglas R. Green, Guido Kroemer

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    675 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Autophagy is central to the maintenance of organismal homeostasis in both physiological and pathological situations. Accordingly, alterations in autophagy have been linked to clinically relevant conditions as diverse as cancer, neurodegeneration and cardiac disorders. Throughout the past decade, autophagy has attracted considerable attention as a target for the development of novel therapeutics. However, such efforts have not yet generated clinically viable interventions. In this Review, we discuss the therapeutic potential of autophagy modulators, analyse the obstacles that have limited their development and propose strategies that may unlock the full therapeutic potential of autophagy modulation in the clinic.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)487-511
    Number of pages25
    JournalNature Reviews Drug Discovery
    Volume16
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2017

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