science

MEK inhibitor

MEK inhibitor is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MEK inhibitor rather than just read about it. In short: A MEK inhibitor is a chemical or drug that inhibits the mitogen-activated protein kinase enzymes MEK1 and/or MEK2. They can be used to affect the MAPK/ERK pathway which is often overactive in some cancers.

Key takeaways

MEK inhibitor belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MEK inhibitor to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MEK inhibitor from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A MEK inhibitor is a chemical or drug that inhibits the mitogen-activated protein kinase enzymes MEK1 and/or MEK2. They can be used to affect the MAPK/ERK pathway which is often overactive in some cancers. (See MAPK/ERK pathway#Clinical significance.) Hence MEK inhibitors have potential for treatment of some cancers, especially BRAF-mutated melanoma, and KRAS/BRAF mutated colorectal cancer.

Approved for clinical use Binimetinib (MEK162), approved by the FDA in June 2018 in combination with encorafenib for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF V600E or V600K mutation-positive melanoma. Cobimetinib or XL518, approved by US FDA in Nov 2015 for use in combination with vemurafenib (Zelboraf(R)), for treatment of advanced melanoma with a BRAF V600E or V600K mutation. Selumetinib, had a phase 2 clinical trial for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) which demonstrated an improvement in PFS, and is now in phase III development in KRAS mutation positive NSCLC (SELECT-1, NCT01933932). Other ph 3 clinical trials underway include uveal melanoma (failed), and differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Trametinib (GSK1120212), FDA-approved to treat BRAF-mutated melanoma. Also studied in combination with BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib to treat BRAF-mutated melanoma.

In clinical trials PD-325901, for breast cancer, colon cancer, and melanoma A phase II trial for advanced non-small cell lung cancer "did not meet its primary efficacy end point". Atebimetinib, for pancreatic cancer

Others CI-1040, PD035901 TAK-733, preclinical for multiple myeloma. Zapnometinib

Pre-clinical investigation Clinically approved MEK inhibitor Cobimetinib has been investigated in combination with PI3K inhibition in pre-clinical models of lung cancer, where the combined treatment approach lead to a synergistic anti-cancer response. Co-targeted therapeutic approaches to have been suggested to induce improved anti-cancer effects, due to blockade of compensatory signalling, prevention or delay of acquired resistance to treatment, and the possibility of reducing dosing of each compound.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MEK inhibitor

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MEK inhibitor claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MEK inhibitor before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MEK inhibitor ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MEK inhibitor

In research: MEK inhibitor appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MEK inhibitor in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MEK inhibitor is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics MEK inhibitors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MEK inhibitor outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MEK inhibitor in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MEK inhibitor means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MEK inhibitor out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MEK inhibitor in simple terms?

Why does MEK inhibitor matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MEK inhibitor?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MEK inhibitor.