Almost thirty years ago, PI3K was discovered as a lipid kinase associated with certain oncoproteins. The first decade of research on PI3K saw the identification, purification and cloning of PI3Kα. The second decade of research was noted for the identification of some of PI3K’s activators and effectors. This was accompanied by the discovery that PI3K acts as a retroviral oncogene. The third decade was known for the establishment of the direct involvement of PI3K in cancer, demonstrated by the identification of cancer-specific mutations. Efforts to target PI3K were on the rise from that moment on, accompanied by the first clinical trials for PI3K inhibitor therapies. In the fourth decade of research, PI3K-based cancer drugs will continue to emerge, as will new knowledge regarding other uncovered functions of this protein and pathway.

大约三十年前，PI3K被发现是与某些癌蛋白相关的脂质激酶。PI3K的第一个十年研究是PI3Kα的鉴定，纯化和克隆。注意到第二个十年的研究是为了识别一些PI3K的激活剂和效应子。这伴随着PI3K充当逆转录病毒癌基因的发现。第三个十年因PI3K直接参与癌症而闻名，这通过鉴定癌症特异性突变得以证明。从那时起，针对PI3K的努力正在增加，伴随着PI3K抑制剂疗法的首次临床试验。在研究的第四个十年中，基于PI3K的抗癌药物将继续出现，关于这种蛋白质和途径的其他尚未发现的功能的新知识也将不断涌现。