The Hedgehog signaling pathway is a target of growing interest in the oncology community. It represents a new way of understanding and potentially attacking the progression and reoccurrence of cancer. The Hedgehog pathway is normally active during embryonic development and regulates tissue and organ formation.
When abnormally activated in adults the Hedgehog pathway is believed to play a central role in allowing the proliferation and survival of cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, hematologic cancers, skin cancers, and certain brain cancers.
In addition, recent evidence points to a potentially important role for the Hedgehog pathway in tumor progenitor cells. Tumor progenitor cells are resistant to standard anti-cancer agents and radiation, and are therefore suspected to be responsible for disease relapse following treatment with conventional therapeutic agents.