Discovery of vimseltinib (DCC-3014), a highly selective CSF1R switch-control kinase inhibitor, in clinical development for the treatment of Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor (TGCT).

Based on knowledge of kinase switch-control inhibition and using a combination of structure-based drug design and standard medicinal chemistry principles, we identified a novel series of dihydropyrimidone-based CSF1R kinase inhibitors displaying exquisite selectivity for CSF1R versus a large panel of kinases and non-kinase protein targets. Starting with lead compound 3, an SAR optimization campaign led to the discovery of vimseltinib (DCC-3014; compound 20) currently undergoing clinical evaluation for the treatment of Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor (TGCT), a locally aggressive benign tumor associated with substantial morbidity. 2021 Elsevier ltd. All rights reserved.

Vimseltinib: A Precision CSF1R Therapy for Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumors and Diseases Promoted by Macrophages.

Macrophages can be co-opted to contribute to neoplastic, neurologic, and inflammatory diseases. Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R)-dependent macrophages and other inflammatory cells can suppress the adaptive immune system in cancer and contribute to angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis. CSF1R-expressing osteoclasts mediate bone degradation in osteolytic cancers and cancers that metastasize to bone. In the rare disease tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT), aberrant CSF1 expression and production driven by a gene translocation leads to the recruitment and growth of tumors formed by CSF1R-dependent inflammatory cells. Small molecules and antibodies targeting the CSF1/CSF1R axis have shown promise in the treatment of TGCT and cancer, with pexidartinib recently receiving FDA approval for treatment of TGCT. Many small-molecule kinase inhibitors of CSF1R also inhibit the closely related kinases KIT, PDGFRA, PDGFRB, and FLT3, thus CSF1R suppression may be limited by off-target activity and associated adverse events. Vimseltinib (DCC-3014) is an oral, switch control tyrosine kinase inhibitor specifically designed to selectively and potently inhibit CSF1R by exploiting unique features of the switch control region that regulates kinase conformational activation. In preclinical studies, vimseltinib durably suppressed CSF1R activity in vitro and in vivo, depleted macrophages and other CSF1R-dependent cells, and resulted in inhibition of tumor growth and bone degradation in mouse cancer models. Translationally, in a phase I clinical study, vimseltinib treatment led to modulation of biomarkers of CSF1R inhibition and reduction in tumor burden in TGCT patients.

Ripretinib (DCC-2618) Is a Switch Control Kinase Inhibitor of a Broad Spectrum of Oncogenic and Drug-Resistant KIT and PDGFRA Variants.

Ripretinib (DCC-2618) was designed to inhibit the full spectrum of mutant KIT and PDGFRA kinases found in cancers and myeloproliferative neoplasms, particularly in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), in which the heterogeneity of drug-resistant KIT mutations is a major challenge. Ripretinib is a "switch-control" kinase inhibitor that forces the activation loop (or activation "switch") into an inactive conformation. Ripretinib inhibits all tested KIT and PDGFRA mutants, and notably is a type II kinase inhibitor demonstrated to broadly inhibit activation loop mutations in KIT and PDGFRA, previously thought only achievable with type I inhibitors. Ripretinib shows efficacy in preclinical cancer models, and preliminary clinical data provide proof-of-concept that ripretinib inhibits a wide range of KIT mutants in patients with drug-resistant GISTs.

The Selective Tie2 Inhibitor Rebastinib Blocks Recruitment and Function of Tie2Hi Macrophages in Breast Cancer and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells promote tumor progression by mediating angiogenesis, tumor cell intravasation, and metastasis, which can offset the effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and antiangiogenic therapy. Here, we show that the kinase switch control inhibitor rebastinib inhibits Tie2, a tyrosine kinase receptor expressed on endothelial cells and protumoral Tie2-expressing macrophages in mouse models of metastatic cancer. Rebastinib reduces tumor growth and metastasis in an orthotopic mouse model of metastatic mammary carcinoma through reduction of Tie2+ myeloid cell infiltration, antiangiogenic effects, and blockade of tumor cell intravasation mediated by perivascular Tie2Hi/Vegf-AHi macrophages in the tumor microenvironment of metastasis (TMEM). The antitumor effects of rebastinib enhance the efficacy of microtubule inhibiting chemotherapeutic agents, either eribulin or paclitaxel, by reducing tumor volume, metastasis, and improving overall survival. Rebastinib inhibition of angiopoietin/Tie2 signaling impairs multiple pathways in tumor progression mediated by protumoral Tie2+ macrophages, including TMEM-dependent dissemination and angiopoietin/Tie2-dependent angiogenesis. Rebastinib is a promising therapy for achieving Tie2 inhibition in cancer patients. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(11); 2486-501. ©2017 AACR.

Altiratinib Inhibits Tumor Growth, Invasion, Angiogenesis, and Microenvironment-Mediated Drug Resistance via Balanced Inhibition of MET, TIE2, and VEGFR2.

Altiratinib (DCC-2701) was designed based on the rationale of engineering a single therapeutic agent able to address multiple hallmarks of cancer (1). Specifically, altiratinib inhibits not only mechanisms of tumor initiation and progression, but also drug resistance mechanisms in the tumor and microenvironment through balanced inhibition of MET, TIE2 (TEK), and VEGFR2 (KDR) kinases. This profile was achieved by optimizing binding into the switch control pocket of all three kinases, inducing type II inactive conformations. Altiratinib durably inhibits MET, both wild-type and mutated forms, in vitro and in vivo. Through its balanced inhibitory potency versus MET, TIE2, and VEGFR2, altiratinib provides an agent that inhibits three major evasive (re)vascularization and resistance pathways (HGF, ANG, and VEGF) and blocks tumor invasion and metastasis. Altiratinib exhibits properties amenable to oral administration and exhibits substantial blood-brain barrier penetration, an attribute of significance for eventual treatment of brain cancers and brain metastases.