Regulation of the mTOR signaling pathway: from laboratory bench to bedside and back again

Recent publications have moved us significantly closer to a complete understanding of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, which plays a central role in the control of growth and metabolism and is dysregulated in a broad spectrum of human diseases, including cancer, tuberous sclerosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Rapamycin-related mTOR inhibitors have shown clinical efficacy in several of these diseases, and novel inhibitors currently in development will be valuable tools for further dissections of the mTOR signaling network in human health and disease.