Project description:Purpose: Deregulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway signaling through AGC kinases including AKT, p70S6 kinase, PKA, SGK and Rho kinase, is a key driver of multiple cancers. The simultaneous inhibition of multiple AGC kinases may increase antitumor activity and minimize clinical resistance compared with a single pathway component. Experimental Design: We investigated the detailed pharmacology and antitumor activity of the novel clinical drug candidate AT13148, an oral ATP-competitive multi-AGC kinase inhibitor. Gene expression microarray studies were undertaken to characterize the molecular mechanisms of action of AT13148. Results: AT13148 caused substantial blockade of AKT, p70S6K, PKA, ROCK and SGK substrate phosphorylation and induced apoptosis in a concentration and time-dependent manner in cancer cells with clinically relevant genetic defects in vitro and in vivo. Antitumor efficacy in HER2-positive, PIK3CA-mutant BT474 breast, PTEN-deficient PC3 human prostate cancer and PTEN-deficient MES-SA uterine tumor xenografts was demonstrated. We show for the first time that induction of AKT phosphorylation at serine 473 by AT13148, as reported for other ATP-competitive inhibitors of AKT, is not a therapeutically relevant reactivation step. Gene expression studies showed that AT13148 has a predominant effect on apoptosis genes, whereas the selective AKT inhibitor CCT128930 modulates cell cycle genes. Induction of upstream regulators including IRS2 and PIK3IP1 due to compensatory feedback loops was observed. Conclusions: The clinical candidate AT13148 is a novel oral multi-AGC kinase inhibitor with potent pharmacodynamic and antitumor activity, which demonstrates a distinct mechanism of action from other AKT inhibitors. AT13148 will now be assessed in a first-in-human Phase I trial. The PTEN-deficient U87MG glioblastoma cell line was treated for 6 hours with vehicle control (DMSO) or to different concentrations of AT13148 and CCT128930 (0.1uM, 1xGI50 and 3XGI50).
Project description:Purpose: Deregulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway signaling through AGC kinases including AKT, p70S6 kinase, PKA, SGK and Rho kinase, is a key driver of multiple cancers. The simultaneous inhibition of multiple AGC kinases may increase antitumor activity and minimize clinical resistance compared with a single pathway component. Experimental Design: We investigated the detailed pharmacology and antitumor activity of the novel clinical drug candidate AT13148, an oral ATP-competitive multi-AGC kinase inhibitor. Gene expression microarray studies were undertaken to characterize the molecular mechanisms of action of AT13148. Results: AT13148 caused substantial blockade of AKT, p70S6K, PKA, ROCK and SGK substrate phosphorylation and induced apoptosis in a concentration and time-dependent manner in cancer cells with clinically relevant genetic defects in vitro and in vivo. Antitumor efficacy in HER2-positive, PIK3CA-mutant BT474 breast, PTEN-deficient PC3 human prostate cancer and PTEN-deficient MES-SA uterine tumor xenografts was demonstrated. We show for the first time that induction of AKT phosphorylation at serine 473 by AT13148, as reported for other ATP-competitive inhibitors of AKT, is not a therapeutically relevant reactivation step. Gene expression studies showed that AT13148 has a predominant effect on apoptosis genes, whereas the selective AKT inhibitor CCT128930 modulates cell cycle genes. Induction of upstream regulators including IRS2 and PIK3IP1 due to compensatory feedback loops was observed. Conclusions: The clinical candidate AT13148 is a novel oral multi-AGC kinase inhibitor with potent pharmacodynamic and antitumor activity, which demonstrates a distinct mechanism of action from other AKT inhibitors. AT13148 will now be assessed in a first-in-human Phase I trial.
Project description:To study the antitumor and antiangiogenic activity of combining E7386 (an oral protein-protein interaction inhibitor targeting CREB-binding protein (CBP)/β-catenin) with lenvatinib and explore a novel mechanism of action of E7386 that boosts antitumor response.
Project description:Raw MS data for pre-published paper: Olomorasib, a highly selective and potent oral inhibitor of KRASG12C, demonstrates robust single agent and combination activity in KRASG12C-mutant models
Project description:PKMYT1 has recently emerged as a compelling therapeutic target for precision cancer therapy due to its synthetic lethality with oncogenic alterations such as CCNE1 amplification and mutations in FBXW7 and PPP2R1A. Current small molecule PKMYT1 inhibitors face limitations, such as insufficient molecular diversity and poor selectivity. We used our generative AI platform to develop a bifunctional PKMYT1 degrader by linking an entirely novel PKMYT1 inhibitor to an optimized cereblon (CRBN) binder. The lead PROTAC D16-M1P2 demonstrated dual mechanisms of PKMYT1 degradation and antagonism, with strong antiproliferative potency facilitated by high selectivity. It also exhibited favorable oral bioavailability, stronger pharmacodynamic effects relative to the PKMYT1 inhibitor alone, and robust antitumor response as a monotherapy in xenograft models. This first-in-class PROTAC serves as a precise chemical probe to explore PKMYT1 biology and a promising lead for further cancer therapy exploration.
Project description:Ferroptosis is a form of regulated cell death that can be induced by inhibition of the cystine-glutamate antiporter, system xc-. Among the existing system xc- inhibitors, imidazole ketone erastin (IKE) is a potent, metabolically stable inhibitor of system xc- and inducer of ferroptosis potentially suitable for in vivo applications. We investigated the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic features of IKE in a diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) xenograft model and demonstrated that IKE exerted an antitumor effect by inhibiting system xc-, leading to glutathione depletion, lipid peroxidation, and the induction of ferroptosis biomarkers both in vitro and in vivo. Using untargeted lipidomics and qPCR, we identified distinct features of lipid metabolism in IKE-induced ferroptosis. In addition, biodegradable polyethylene glycol-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles were employed to aid in IKE delivery and exhibited reduced toxicity compared with free IKE in a DLBCL xenograft model.
Project description:A genomics-based approach to identify pharmacodynamic biomarkers was used for a CDK (cyclin-dependent kinase) inhibitory drug. R547 is a potent CDK inhibitor with a potent anti-proliferative effect at pharmacologically relevant doses, and is currently in Phase I clinical trials. Utilizing preclinical data derived from microarray experiments, we identified pharmacodynamic biomarkers to test in blood samples from patients in clinical trials. These candidate biomarkers were chosen based on several criteria: relevance to the mechanism of action of R547, dose responsiveness in preclinical models, and measurable expression in blood samples. We identified 26 potential biomarkers of R547 action and tested their clinical validity in patient blood samples by quantitative real-time PCR analysis.
Project description:A genomics-based approach to identify pharmacodynamic biomarkers was used for a CDK (cyclin-dependent kinase) inhibitory drug. R547 is a potent CDK inhibitor with a potent anti-proliferative effect at pharmacologically relevant doses, and is currently in Phase I clinical trials. Utilizing preclinical data derived from microarray experiments, we identified pharmacodynamic biomarkers to test in blood samples from patients in clinical trials. These candidate biomarkers were chosen based on several criteria: relevance to the mechanism of action of R547, dose responsiveness in preclinical models, and measurable expression in blood samples. We identified 26 potential biomarkers of R547 action and tested their clinical validity in patient blood samples by quantitative real-time PCR analysis.