Kinome-wide RNAi screen identifies key role of dual specificity kinase Mps1 in proliferation and survival of pancreatic cancer cells

Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the western world. Currently it is incurable with existing therapies. The median survival rate (˜6 months) and the overall 5-year survival rate (< 5%) has not improved despite significant research and diagnostic efforts, warranting the urgent need for novel therapeutic targets and approaches. Protein kinases are known to be effective and druggable targets in a variety of disease states. We employed a kinome-wide RNAi screen to identify hitherto unknown protein kinases which when silenced would sensitize…