# Advances in Targeted Autophagy Modulation Strategies to Treat Cancer and Associated Treatment-Induced Cardiotoxicity

## TL;DR

This paper reviews recent strategies to modulate autophagy for treating cancer and reducing treatment-related heart damage.

## Contribution

The paper highlights novel non-small molecule modulators, nanomedicine, and in vitro models for targeted autophagy modulation.

## Key findings

- Non-small molecule modulators can enhance targeted autophagy therapy for cancer and cardiotoxicity.
- Nanomedicine offers new ways to modulate and monitor autophagy in cancer treatment.
- In vitro models are crucial for translating autophagy research into clinical applications.

## Abstract

Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved process, plays an important role in cellular homeostasis and human diseases. Cardiovascular dysfunction, which presents during cancer treatment or in cancer-free individuals years after treatment, is a growing clinical challenge. Millions of cancer survivors and patients face an unpredictable risk of developing cardiotoxicity. Cardiotoxicity due to cancer treatment, as well as cancer progression, has been linked to autophagy dysregulation. Modulating autophagy has been further proposed as a therapeutic treatment for both cancer and cardiovascular disorders. The safe and effective use of autophagy modulation as a cardioprotective strategy during cancer treatment especially requires careful consideration and experimentation to minimize the impact on cancer treatment. We focus here on recent advances in targeted autophagy modulation strategies that utilize interdisciplinary approaches in biomedical sciences and are potentially translatable to treat cardiotoxicity and improve cancer treatment outcomes. This review highlights non-small molecule autophagy modulators to enhance targeted therapy, nanomedicine for autophagy modulation and monitoring, and in vitro models and future experiments needed to bring novel autophagy discoveries from basic research to clinical translation.