Combined cellular targets under sequential exposure

The term Combined cellular targets under sequential exposure does not refer to a single molecular entity but rather to a pharmacological strategy involving the administration of multiple therapeutic agents in a specific chronological order (PubMed, PMID: 28456573). This approach is designed to exploit the dynamic nature of cellular signaling, where the first agent primes the cell or synchronizes the cell cycle, making the subsequent agent more effective at hitting its respective target (NIH, National Cancer Institute). For example, in oncology, sequential exposure can prevent the emergence of resistant clones by hitting targets in a specific logic-gate fashion that bypasses adaptive survival mechanisms (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2017). Because this term describes a methodology or experimental paradigm rather than a discrete protein, enzyme, or receptor, it is not classified as a canonical therapeutic target. It represents a systems-biology approach to treatment where the target is the network state rather than an individual molecule.

Other names

Sequential drug exposureSequential therapySequential treatment regimenPriming and challenge strategyTemporal polypharmacology

Temporal modulation of multiple cellular pathways where an initial agent alters the cellular state (e.g., priming or synchronization) to enhance the efficacy of a subsequent agent.