Choosing anticancer drug targets in the postgenomic era

The human genome project will be completed in the early part of the next decade. For example, most of the approximately 10 5 human mRNAs have already been at least partially cloned and sequenced as cDNAs. These cDNAs, when completed, will provide valuable tools for studying the protein products of their respective mRNAs. The challenge in the postgenomic era will be to apply advances in molecular oncology to select from among this diverse set of proteins the most suitable candidates for anti-cancer drug discovery programs. Here, I outline some considerations that may be helpful in choosing rational drug targets for cancer therapy.