Current drug design to target the Semaphorin/Neuropilin/Plexin complexes

The Semaphorin/Neuropilin/Plexin (SNP) complexes control a wide range of biological processes. Consistently, activity deregulation of these complexes is associated with many diseases. The increasing knowledge on SNP had in turn validated these molecular complexes as novel therapeutic targets. Targeting SNP activities by small molecules, antibodies and peptides or by soluble semaphorins have been proposed as new therapeutic approach. This review is focusing on the latest demonstration of this potential and discusses some of the key questions that need to be addressed before translating SNP targeting into clinically relevant approaches.