Therapeutic modulation of Notch signalling--are we there yet?

[cadasil]

The Notch signalling pathway is evolutionarily conserved and is crucial for the development and homeostasis of most tissues . Deregulated Notch signalling leads to various diseases , such as T cell leukaemia , Alagille syndrome and a stroke and dementia syndrome known as CADASIL , and so strategies to therapeutically modulate Notch signalling are of interest . Clinical trials of Notch pathway inhibitors in patients with solid tumours have been reported , and several approaches are under preclinical evaluation . In this Review , we focus on aspects of the pathway that are amenable to therapeutic intervention , diseases that could be targeted and the various Notch pathway modulation strategies that are currently being explored .