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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 7, 2025; 31(33): 105466
Published online Sep 7, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i33.105466
Published online Sep 7, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i33.105466
Focal adhesion kinase: A promising regulator of colitis-associated healing
Kaitlyn Kaye Malek, Marc D Basson, College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, United States
Balawant Kumar, Rizwan Ahmad, Amar Singh, Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, MO 66160, United States
Amar Singh, Department of Research, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO 64128, United States
Co-corresponding authors: Amar Singh and Marc D Basson.
Author contributions: Singh A and Basson MD conceptualized the paper and made equal contributions as co-corresponding authors; Kumar B, Ahmad R, Singh A, and Basson MD supervised the research; all authors contributed to the methodology, investigation, writing the original draft, revisions and edits, and have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Dr. Basson reports a patent “Use of small molecule FAK activators to promote mucosal healing”, 2024/0024555A1 issued.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marc D Basson, MD, PhD, College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, 4209 State Route 44, Rootstown, OH 44272, United States.
Received: January 23, 2025
Revised: June 2, 2025
Accepted: August 15, 2025
Published online: September 7, 2025
Processing time: 221 Days and 12.5 Hours
Revised: June 2, 2025
Accepted: August 15, 2025
Published online: September 7, 2025
Processing time: 221 Days and 12.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a critical role in gastrointestinal mucosal healing via various key cellular processes. Small molecule FAK activators, such as ZINC40099027 or analogs, selectively enhance the activity of FAK to promote epithelial cell migration and wound closure. Therefore, ZINC40099027 and similar agents demonstrate promise in treating gastrointestinal mucosal injuries, such as ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease. Their two-fold approach in perpetuating repair mechanisms while minimizing oncogenic pathogenesis offers a therapeutic solution that is a safer, long-term treatment option for complex mucosal injuries.