In this article, we update the progress reported towards developing an
inhibitor of protein farnesyltransferase (PFTase) as a new type of ca
ncer therapy. For the rationale behind this undertaking, please refer
to the review published in this journal in December 1995 [1], and othe
r reviews [2,3]. A few experiments bearing on the utility of PFTase in
hibitors as antitumour agents are considered first, including biologic
al results obtained with compounds described in our earlier review. Fi
nally, new compounds described in the scientific and patent literature
in the past year are reported. As in the previous review, these are g
rouped according to their kinetic mechanism of inhibition of PFTase.