RESUMO
While A2A adenosine receptor (AR) was considered as a major contributor to adenosine-mediated immunosuppression, A2B, having the lowest affinity to adenosine, has also emerged as a potential contributor to tumor promotion. Therefore, in adenosine-rich tumor microenvironment (TME), where A2B could be complementary and/or compensatory to A2A, simultaneous targeting of A2A and A2B ARs can provide higher potential for cancer immunotherapy. We developed M1069 - a highly selective dual antagonist of the A2A and A2B AR. In assays with primary human and murine immune cells, M1069 rescued IL 2 production from T cells (A2A dependent) and inhibited VEGF production by myeloid cells (A2B dependent) in adenosine-high settings. M1069 also demonstrated superior suppression of secretion of pro tumorigenic cytokines CXCL1, CXCL5, and rescue of IL 12 secretion from adenosine differentiated dendritic cells compared to an A2A selective antagonist (A2Ai). In a one-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay, adenosine differentiated human and murine dendritic cells treated with M1069 demonstrated superior T cell stimulatory activity compared to dendritic cells differentiated in presence of A2Ai. In vivo, M1069 decreased tumor growth as a monotherapy and enhanced anti-tumor activity of bintrafusp alfa (BA) or cisplatin in syngeneic adenosinehi/CD73hi 4T1 breast tumor model, but not in the CD73 knockout (KO) 4T1 tumor model or in adenosinelow/CD73low MC38 murine colon carcinoma model. In summary, our dual A2A/A2B AR antagonist M1069 may counteract immune-suppressive mechanisms of high concentrations of adenosine in vitro and in vivo and enhance the anti-tumor activity of other agents, including BA and cisplatin.
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Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is regarded as a highly validated target in pre-clinical immune oncology. HPK1 has been described as regulating multiple critical signaling pathway in both adaptive and innate cells. In support of this role, HPK1 KO T cells show enhanced sensitivity to TCR activation and HPK1 KO mice display enhanced anti-tumor activity. Taken together, inhibition of HPK1 has the potential to induce enhanced anti-tumor immune response. Herein, we described the discovery of highly potent HPK1 inhibitors starting form a weak HTS hit. Using a structure-based drug design, HPK1 inhibitors exhibiting excellent cellular single-digit nanomolar potency in both proximal (pSLP76) and distal (IL-2) biomarkers along with sustained elevation of IL-2 cytokine secretion were discovered.
Assuntos
Interleucina-2 , Receptores de Antígenos de Linfócitos T , Camundongos , Animais , Chlorocebus aethiops , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases , Células COSRESUMO
Wee1 is a tyrosine kinase that is highly expressed in several cancer types. Wee1 inhibition can lead to suppression of tumor cell proliferation and sensitization of cells to the effects of DNA-damaging agents. AZD1775 is a nonselective Wee1 inhibitor for which myelosuppression has been observed as a dose-limiting toxicity. We have applied structure-based drug design (SBDD) to rapidly generate highly selective Wee1 inhibitors that demonstrate better selectivity than AZD1775 against PLK1, which is known to cause myelosuppression (including thrombocytopenia) when inhibited. While selective Wee1 inhibitors described herein still achieved in vitro antitumor efficacy, thrombocytopenia was still observed in vitro.
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The advent of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) using antibodies against PD1 and its ligand PDL1 has prompted substantial efforts to develop complementary drugs. Although many of these are antibodies directed against additional checkpoint proteins, there is an increasing interest in small-molecule immuno-oncology drugs that address intracellular pathways, some of which have recently entered clinical trials. In parallel, small molecules that target pro-tumorigenic pathways in cancer cells and the tumour microenvironment have been found to have immunostimulatory effects that synergize with the action of ICI antibodies, leading to the approval of an increasing number of regimens that combine such drugs. Combinations with small molecules targeting cancer metabolism, cytokine/chemokine and innate immune pathways, and T cell checkpoints are now under investigation. This Review discusses the recent milestones and hurdles encountered in this area of drug development, as well as our views on the best path forward.
Assuntos
Imunoterapia , Neoplasias , Humanos , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológico , Microambiente Tumoral , Citocinas , Linfócitos TRESUMO
Herein, we report the discovery of a novel class of quinazoline carboxamides as dual p70S6k/Akt inhibitors for the treatment of tumors driven by alterations to the PI3K/Akt/mTOR (PAM) pathway. Through the screening of in-house proprietary kinase library, 4-benzylamino-quinazoline-8-carboxylic acid amide 1 stood out, with sub-micromolar p70S6k biochemical activity, as the starting point for a structurally enabled p70S6K/Akt dual inhibitor program that led to the discovery of M2698, a dual p70S6k/Akt inhibitor. M2698 is kinase selective, possesses favorable physical, chemical, and DMPK profiles, is orally available and well tolerated, and displayed tumor control in multiple in vivo studies of PAM pathway-driven tumors.
Assuntos
Neoplasias , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt , Proteínas Quinases S6 Ribossômicas 70-kDa , Animais , Humanos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Ensaios de Triagem em Larga Escala , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias/enzimologia , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinases/efeitos dos fármacos , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/uso terapêutico , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , Proteínas Quinases S6 Ribossômicas 70-kDa/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Quinases S6 Ribossômicas 70-kDa/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Estereoisomerismo , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Serina-Treonina Quinases TOR/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
Activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR kinase pathway is associated with human cancers. A dual p70S6K/Akt inhibitor is sufficient to inhibit strong tumor growth and to block negative impact of the compensatory Akt feedback loop activation. A scaffold docking strategy based on an existing quinazoline carboxamide series identified 4-aminopyrimidine analog 6, which showed a single-digit nanomolar and a micromolar potencies in p70S6K and Akt enzymatic assays. SAR optimization improved Akt enzymatic and p70S6K cellular potencies, reduced hERG liability, and ultimately discovered the promising candidate 37, which exhibited with a single digit nanomolar value in both p70S6K and Akt biochemical assays, and hERG activities (IC50 = 17.4 µM). This agent demonstrated dose-dependent efficacy in inhibiting mice breast cancer tumor growth and covered more than 90% pS6 inhibition up to 24 h at a dose of 200 mg/kg po.
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Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Descoberta de Drogas , Neoplasias Mamárias Animais/tratamento farmacológico , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/antagonistas & inibidores , Pirimidinas/farmacologia , Proteínas Quinases S6 Ribossômicas 70-kDa/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/farmacocinética , Área Sob a Curva , Cães , Feminino , Meia-Vida , Haplorrinos , Camundongos , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Estrutura Molecular , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , Pirimidinas/química , Pirimidinas/farmacocinética , Ratos , Proteínas Quinases S6 Ribossômicas 70-kDa/genética , Proteínas Quinases S6 Ribossômicas 70-kDa/metabolismo , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Serina-Treonina Quinases TOR/genética , Serina-Treonina Quinases TOR/metabolismoRESUMO
Immuno-oncology therapies are revolutionizing the oncology landscape with checkpoint blockade becoming the treatment backbone for many indications. While inspiring, much work remains to increase the number of cancer patients that can benefit from these treatments. Thus, a new era of immuno-oncology research has begun which is focused on identifying novel combination regimes that lead to improved response rates. This review highlights the significance of small molecules in this approach and illustrates the huge progress that has been made to date.
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Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológico , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas/farmacologia , Aminoácidos/antagonistas & inibidores , Aminoácidos/imunologia , Antineoplásicos/química , Humanos , Neoplasias/imunologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/química , Proteínas Quinases/imunologia , Proteínas Quinases/metabolismo , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas/químicaRESUMO
Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors such as ibrutinib hold a prominent role in the treatment of B cell malignancies. However, further refinement is needed to this class of agents, particularly in terms of adverse events (potentially driven by kinase promiscuity), which preclude their evaluation in nononcology indications. Here, we report the discovery and preclinical characterization of evobrutinib, a potent, obligate covalent inhibitor with high kinase selectivity. Evobrutinib displayed sufficient preclinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics which allowed for in vivo evaluation in efficacy models. Moreover, the high selectivity of evobrutinib for BTK over epidermal growth factor receptor and other Tec family kinases suggested a low potential for off-target related adverse effects. Clinical investigation of evobrutinib is ongoing in several autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
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Tirosina Quinase da Agamaglobulinemia/antagonistas & inibidores , Descoberta de Drogas , Doenças do Sistema Imunitário/tratamento farmacológico , Piperidinas/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Pirimidinas/farmacologia , Administração Oral , Tirosina Quinase da Agamaglobulinemia/metabolismo , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Humanos , Doenças do Sistema Imunitário/metabolismo , Estrutura Molecular , Piperidinas/administração & dosagem , Piperidinas/química , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/administração & dosagem , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/química , Pirimidinas/administração & dosagem , Pirimidinas/química , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
Immuno-oncology therapies have the potential to revolutionize the armamentarium of available cancer treatments. To further improve clinical response rates, researchers are looking for novel combination regimens, with checkpoint blockade being used as a backbone of the treatment. This Review highlights the significance of small molecules in this approach, which holds promise to provide increased benefit to cancer patients.
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Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Imunoterapia , Neoplasias/imunologia , Neoplasias/terapia , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas/química , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Neoplasias/patologiaRESUMO
The frequency of PI3K/Akt/mTOR (PAM) Pathway mutations in human cancers sparked interest to determine if the pathway is druggable. The modest clinical benefit observed with mTOR rapalogs (temsirolimus and everolimus) provided further motivation to identify additional nodes of pathway inhibition that lead to improved clinical benefit. Akt is a central signaling node of the PAM pathway and could be an ideal target for improved pathway inhibition. Furthermore, inhibitors of Akt may be especially beneficial in tumors with Akt1 mutations. Recently, multiple ATP-competitive Akt inhibitors have been identified and are currently in clinical development. This review details the medicinal chemistry efforts towards identification of these molecules, highlights relevant preclinical data supporting clinical evaluation, and summarizes current clinical development plans.
Assuntos
Trifosfato de Adenosina/farmacologia , Piperazinas/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/antagonistas & inibidores , Pirimidinas/farmacologia , Trifosfato de Adenosina/síntese química , Trifosfato de Adenosina/química , Animais , Humanos , Modelos Moleculares , Estrutura Molecular , Piperazinas/síntese química , Piperazinas/química , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/síntese química , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/química , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , Pirimidinas/síntese química , Pirimidinas/química , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
Dysregulated PI3K/Akt/mTOR (PAM) pathway signaling occurs in ~30% of human cancers, making it a rational target for new therapies; however, the effectiveness of some PAM pathway inhibitors, such as mTORC rapalogs, may be compromised by a compensatory feedback loop leading to Akt activation. In this study, the p70S6K/Akt dual inhibitor, M2698 (previously MSC2363318A), was characterized as a potential anti-cancer agent through examination of its pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and metabolic properties, and anti-tumor activity. M2698 was highly potent in vitro (IC50 1 nM for p70S6K, Akt1 and Akt3 inhibition; IC50 17 nM for pGSK3ß indirect inhibition) and in vivo (IC50 15 nM for pS6 indirect inhibition), and relatively selective (only 6/264 kinases had an IC50 within 10-fold of p70S6K). Orally administered M2698 crossed the blood-brain barrier in rats and mice, with brain tumor exposure 4-fold higher than non-disease brain. Dose-dependent inhibition of target substrate phosphorylation was observed in vitro and in vivo, indicating that M2698 blocked p70S6K to provide potent PAM pathway inhibition while simultaneously targeting Akt to overcome the compensatory feedback loop. M2698 demonstrated dose-dependent tumor growth inhibition in mouse xenograft models derived from PAM pathway-dysregulated human triple-negative (MDA-MB-468) and Her2-expressing breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-453 and JIMT-1), and reduced brain tumor burden and prolonged survival in mice with orthotopically implanted U251 glioblastoma. These findings highlight M2698 as a promising PAM pathway inhibitor whose unique mechanism of action and capacity to pass the blood-brain barrier warrant clinical investigation in cancers with PAM pathway dysregulation, and those with central nervous system involvement.
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Several potent Aurora kinase inhibitors derived from 5H-benzo[c][1,8]naphthyridin-6-one scaffold were identified. A crystal structure of Aurora kinase A in complex with an initial hit revealed a binding mode of the inhibitor within the ATP binding site and provided insight for structure-guided compound optimization. Subsequent SAR campaign provided a potent and selective pan Aurora inhibitor, which demonstrated potent target modulation and antiproliferative effects in the pancreatic cell line, MIAPaCa-2. Furthermore, this compound inhibited phosphorylation of histone H3 (pHH3) in mouse bone morrow upon oral administration, which is consistent with inhibition of Aurora kinase B activity.
Assuntos
Aurora Quinases/antagonistas & inibidores , Naftiridinas/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Administração Oral , Animais , Aurora Quinases/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Cristalografia por Raios X , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Histonas/antagonistas & inibidores , Histonas/metabolismo , Humanos , Camundongos , Modelos Moleculares , Estrutura Molecular , Naftiridinas/administração & dosagem , Naftiridinas/síntese química , Fosforilação/efeitos dos fármacos , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/administração & dosagem , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/síntese química , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
Flap endonuclease-1 (FEN1) is a key enzyme involved in base excision repair (BER), a primary pathway utilized by mammalian cells to repair DNA damage. Sensitization to DNA damaging agents is a potential method for the improvement of the therapeutic window of traditional chemotherapeutics. In this paper, we describe the identification and SAR of a series of low nanomolar FEN1 inhibitors. Over 1000-fold specificity was achieved against a related endonuclease, xeroderma pigmentosum G (XPG). Two compounds from this series significantly potentiate the action of methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and temozolamide in a bladder cancer cell line (T24). To our knowledge, these are the most potent endonuclease inhibitors reported to date.
Assuntos
Dacarbazina/análogos & derivados , Inibidores Enzimáticos/química , Endonucleases Flap/antagonistas & inibidores , Ureia/análogos & derivados , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Dano ao DNA , Dacarbazina/química , Inibidores Enzimáticos/farmacologia , Humanos , Metanossulfonato de Metila/química , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Temozolomida , Ureia/farmacologia , Neoplasias da Bexiga Urinária , Xeroderma PigmentosoRESUMO
Protegrins are short, cationic peptides that display potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. PG-1, the first of the five natural analogues discovered, forms a rigid antiparallel two-stranded beta-sheet that is stabilized by two disulfide bonds. The two strands of the sheet are linked by a short two-residue loop segment. Removal of the disulfide bridges (e.g., in Cys --> Ala analogues) is known to cause marked loss of antimicrobial activity. We have used basic principles of beta-hairpin design to develop linear analogues of PG-1 that lack cysteine but nevertheless display PG-1-like activity. Our most potent reengineered molecules contain three essential design features: (i) the four cysteine residues of PG-1 are replaced by residues that have high propensity for beta-strand conformation, (ii) D-proline is placed at the i + 1 position of the reverse turn to promote a type II' beta-turn, and (iii) amino functionality is incorporated at the gamma-carbon of the D-proline residue to mimic the charge distribution of the natural beta-hairpin. Structural studies revealed that the antimicrobial potency of the non-disulfide-bonded peptides can be correlated to the stability of the beta-hairpin conformations they adopt in aqueous solution. The presence of 150 mM NaCl was found to have little effect on the antimicrobial activity of PG-1, but one of our linear analogues loses some potency under these high salt conditions. Despite this discrepancy in salt sensitivity, NMR and CD data indicate that neither PG-1 nor our linear analogue experiences a significant decrease in beta-hairpin conformational stability in the presence of 150 mM NaCl. Thus, salt inactivation is not due to destabilization of the beta-hairpin conformation. Furthermore, our results show that beta-sheet design principles can be used to replace conformation-stabilizing disulfide bridges with noncovalent conformation-stabilizing features.