Bortezomib (VELCADE™, formerly known as PS-341) is a selective and potent inhibitor of the proteasome that was recently FDA-approved for the treatment of
multiple myeloma. Despite its success in multiple myeloma and progression into clinical trials for other
malignancies, bortezomib's exact mechanism of action remains undefined. The major objective of this study was to evaluate the anticancer activity of this drug using in vitro and in vivo pancreatic cancer models and determine whether bortezomib-induced apoptosis occurs via induction of endoplasmic reticular (ER) stress. The investigation revealed that bortezomib inhibited tumor
cell proliferation via abrogation of cdk activity and…
