Autophagy Inducers and Inhibitors

Small molecules able to inhibit or induce autophagic activity provide a mechanism to modulate and study autophagy at the single cell and organismal level. In contrast to genetic models, pharmacological agents allow temporal and dose control. Moreover, often the effects of autophagy modulating agents are reversible. For animal model systems, targeted delivery of small molecules-autophagy modulators to specific organs and tissues may represent a significant advantage.