Farnesyl protein transferase inhibitors and other therapies targeting the ras signal transduction pathway

The year 2000 will be a significant date for the field of Ras-related thera pies since numerous agents will have Phase II clinical efficacy data maturi ng to provide proof of principle for this cancer treatment strategy. These data will also provide an important milestone for the cancer research commu nity since these molecules represent a small vanguard of oncology drug disc overy projects predicated on molecular targets. We can only hope that these agents are a successful harbinger for the formidable number of targeted th erapies that will be entering development pipelines in the coming years.