ATOR-1017 (evunzekibart), an Fc-gamma receptor conditional 4-1BB agonist designed for optimal safety and efficacy, activates exhausted T cells in combination with anti-PD-1.

BACKGROUND: 4-1BB (CD137) is a co-stimulatory receptor highly expressed on tumor reactive effector T cells and NK cells, which upon stimulation prolongs persistence of tumor reactive effector T and NK cells within the tumor and induces long-lived memory T cells. 4-1BB agonistic antibodies have been shown to induce strong anti-tumor effects that synergize with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The first generation of 4-1BB agonists was, however, hampered by dose-limiting toxicities resulting in suboptimal dose levels or poor agonistic activity. METHODS: ATOR-1017 (evunzekibart), a second-generation Fc-gamma receptor conditional 4-1BB agonist in IgG4 format, was designed to overcome the limitations of the first generation of 4-1BB agonists, providing strong agonistic effect while minimizing systemic immune activation and risk of hepatoxicity. The epitope of ATOR-1017 was determined by X-ray crystallography, and the functional activity was assessed in vitro and in vivo as monotherapy or in combination with anti-PD1. RESULTS: ATOR-1017 binds to a unique epitope on 4-1BB enabling ATOR-1017 to activate T cells, including cells with an exhausted phenotype, and NK cells, in a cross-linking dependent, FcγR-conditional, manner. This translated into a tumor-directed and potent anti-tumor therapeutic effect in vivo, which was further enhanced with anti-PD-1 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These preclinical data demonstrate a strong safety profile of ATOR-1017, together with its potent therapeutic effect as monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD1, supporting further clinical development of ATOR-1017.

The Bispecific Tumor Antigen-Conditional 4-1BB x 5T4 Agonist, ALG.APV-527, Mediates Strong T-Cell Activation and Potent Antitumor Activity in Preclinical Studies.

4-1BB (CD137) is an activation-induced costimulatory receptor that regulates immune responses of activated CD8 T and natural killer cells, by enhancing proliferation, survival, cytolytic activity, and IFNγ production. The ability to induce potent antitumor activity by stimulating 4-1BB on tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells makes 4-1BB an attractive target for designing novel immuno-oncology therapeutics. To minimize systemic immune toxicities and enhance activity at the tumor site, we have developed a novel bispecific antibody that stimulates 4-1BB function when co-engaged with the tumor-associated antigen 5T4. ALG.APV-527 was built on the basis of the ADAPTIR bispecific platform with optimized binding domains to 4-1BB and 5T4 originating from the ALLIGATOR-GOLD human single-chain variable fragment library. The epitope of ALG.APV-527 was determined to be located at domain 1 and 2 on 4-1BB using X-ray crystallography. As shown in reporter and primary cell assays in vitro, ALG.APV-527 triggers dose-dependent 4-1BB activity mediated only by 5T4 crosslinking. In vivo, ALG.APV-527 demonstrates robust antitumor responses, by inhibiting growth of established tumors expressing human 5T4 followed by a long-lasting memory immune response. ALG.APV-527 has an antibody-like half-life in cynomolgus macaques and was well tolerated at 50.5 mg/kg. ALG.APV-527 is uniquely designed for 5T4-conditional 4-1BB-mediated antitumor activity with potential to minimize systemic immune activation and hepatotoxicity while providing efficacious tumor-specific responses in a range of 5T4-expressing tumor indications as shown by robust activity in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models. On the basis of the combined preclinical dataset, ALG.APV-527 has potential as a promising anticancer therapeutic for the treatment of 5T4-expressing tumors.

A high throughput screen identifies potent and selective inhibitors to human epithelial 15-lipoxygenase-2.

Lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes catalyze the hydroperoxidation of arachidonic acid and other polyunsaturated fatty acids to hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids with varying positional specificity to yield important biological signaling molecules. Human epithelial 15-lipoxygenase-2 (15-LOX-2) is a highly specific LOX isozyme that is expressed in epithelial tissue and whose activity has been correlated with suppression of tumor growth in prostate and other epithelial derived cancers. Despite the potential utility of an inhibitor to probe the specific role of 15-LOX-2 in tumor progression, no such potent/specific 15-LOX-2 inhibitors have been reported to date. This study employs high throughput screening to identify two novel, specific 15-LOX-2 inhibitors. MLS000545091 is a mixed-type inhibitor of 15-LOX-2 with a Ki of 0.9+/-0.4 µM and has a 20-fold selectivity over 5-LOX, 12-LOX, 15-LOX-1, COX-1, and COX-2. MLS000536924 is a competitive inhibitor with a Ki of 2.5+/-0.5 µM and also possesses 20-fold selectivity toward 15-LOX-2 over the other oxygenases, listed above. Finally, neither compound possesses reductive activity towards the active-site ferrous ion.

Potent and selective inhibitors of human reticulocyte 12/15-lipoxygenase as anti-stroke therapies.

A key challenge facing drug discovery today is variability of the drug target between species, such as with 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX), which contributes to ischemic brain injury, but its human and rodent isozymes have different inhibitor specificities. In the current work, we have utilized a quantitative high-throughput (qHTS) screen to identify compound 1 (ML351), a novel chemotype for 12/15-LOX inhibition that has nanomolar potency (IC50 = 200 nM) against human 12/15-LOX and is protective against oxidative glutamate toxicity in mouse neuronal HT22 cells. In addition, it exhibited greater than 250-fold selectivity versus related LOX isozymes, was a mixed inhibitor, and did not reduce the active-site ferric ion. Lastly, 1 significantly reduced infarct size following permanent focal ischemia in a mouse model of ischemic stroke. As such, this represents the first report of a selective inhibitor of human 12/15-LOX with demonstrated in vivo activity in proof-of-concept mouse models of stroke.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of 4-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)amino)benzenesulfonamide derivatives as potent and selective inhibitors of 12-lipoxygenase.

Human lipoxygenases (LOXs) are a family of iron-containing enzymes which catalyze the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids to provide the corresponding bioactive hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) metabolites. These eicosanoid signaling molecules are involved in a number of physiologic responses such as platelet aggregation, inflammation, and cell proliferation. Our group has taken a particular interest in platelet-type 12-(S)-LOX (12-LOX) because of its demonstrated role in skin diseases, diabetes, platelet hemostasis, thrombosis, and cancer. Herein, we report the identification and medicinal chemistry optimization of a 4-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)amino)benzenesulfonamide-based scaffold. Top compounds, exemplified by 35 and 36, display nM potency against 12-LOX, excellent selectivity over related lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases, and possess favorable ADME properties. In addition, both compounds inhibit PAR-4 induced aggregation and calcium mobilization in human platelets and reduce 12-HETE in ß-cells.

A small molecule inhibitor of the BLM helicase modulates chromosome stability in human cells.

The Bloom's syndrome protein, BLM, is a member of the conserved RecQ helicase family. Although cell lines lacking BLM exist, these exhibit progressive genomic instability that makes distinguishing primary from secondary effects of BLM loss problematic. In order to be able to acutely disable BLM function in cells, we undertook a high throughput screen of a chemical compound library for small molecule inhibitors of BLM. We present ML216, a potent inhibitor of the DNA unwinding activity of BLM. ML216 shows cell-based activity and can induce sister chromatid exchanges, enhance the toxicity of aphidicolin, and exert antiproliferative activity in cells expressing BLM, but not those lacking BLM. These data indicate that ML216 shows strong selectivity for BLM in cultured cells. We discuss the potential utility of such a BLM-targeting compound as an anticancer agent.

Inhibition of thioredoxin reductase 1 by porphyrins and other small molecules identified by a high-throughput screening assay.

The selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) has in recent years been identified as a promising anticancer drug target. A high-throughput assay for discovery of novel compounds targeting the enzyme is therefore warranted. Herein, we describe a single-enzyme, dual-purpose assay for simultaneous identification of inhibitors and substrates of TrxR1. Using this assay to screen the LOPAC¹²8° compound collection we identified several known inhibitors of TrxR1, thus validating the assay, as well as several compounds hitherto unknown to target the enzyme. These included rottlerin (previously reported as a PKCδ inhibitor and mitochondrial uncoupler) and the heme precursor protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). We found that PpIX was a potent competitive inhibitor of TrxR1, with a K(i)=2.7 µM with regard to Trx1, and in the absence of Trx1 displayed time-dependent irreversible inhibition with an apparent second-order rate constant (k(inact)) of (0.73 ± 0.07) × 10⁻³ µM⁻¹ min⁻¹. Exogenously delivered PpIX was cytotoxic, inhibited A549 cell proliferation, and was found to also inhibit cellular TrxR activity. Hemin and the ferrochelatase inhibitor NMPP also inhibited TrxR1 and showed cytotoxicity, but less potently compared to PpIX. We conclude that rottlerin-induced cellular effects may involve targeting of TrxR1. The unexpected finding of PpIX as a TrxR1 inhibitor suggests that such inhibition may contribute to symptoms associated with conditions of abnormally high PpIX levels, such as reduced ferrochelatase activity seen in erythropoietic protoporphyria. Finally, additional inhibitors of TrxR1 may be discovered and further characterized based upon the new high-throughput TrxR1 assay presented here.

Discovery of potent and selective inhibitors of human platelet-type 12- lipoxygenase.

We report the discovery of novel small molecule inhibitors of platelet-type 12-human lipoxygenase, which display nanomolar activity against the purified enzyme, using a quantitative high-throughput screen (qHTS) on a library of 153607 compounds. These compounds also exhibit excellent specificity, >50-fold selectivity vs the paralogues, 5-human lipoxygenase, reticulocyte 15-human lipoxygenase type-1, and epithelial 15-human lipoxygenase type-2, and >100-fold selectivity vs ovine cyclooxygenase-1 and human cyclooxygenase-2. Kinetic experiments indicate this chemotype is a noncompetitive inhibitor that does not reduce the active site iron. Moreover, chiral HPLC separation of two of the racemic lead molecules revealed a strong preference for the (-)-enantiomers (IC(50) of 0.43 ± 0.04 and 0.38 ± 0.05 µM) compared to the (+)-enantiomers (IC(50) of >25 µM for both), indicating a fine degree of selectivity in the active site due to chiral geometry. In addition, these compounds demonstrate efficacy in cellular models, which underscores their relevance to disease modification.

High-affinity inhibitors of human NAD-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase: mechanisms of inhibition and structure-activity relationships.

BACKGROUND: 15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH, EC 1.1.1.141) is the key enzyme for the inactivation of prostaglandins, regulating processes such as inflammation or proliferation. The anabolic pathways of prostaglandins, especially with respect to regulation of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes have been studied in detail; however, little is known about downstream events including functional interaction of prostaglandin-processing and -metabolizing enzymes. High-affinity probes for 15-PGDH will, therefore, represent important tools for further studies. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To identify novel high-affinity inhibitors of 15-PGDH we performed a quantitative high-throughput screen (qHTS) by testing >160 thousand compounds in a concentration-response format and identified compounds that act as noncompetitive inhibitors as well as a competitive inhibitor, with nanomolar affinity. Both types of inhibitors caused strong thermal stabilization of the enzyme, with cofactor dependencies correlating with their mechanism of action. We solved the structure of human 15-PGDH and explored the binding modes of the inhibitors to the enzyme in silico. We found binding modes that are consistent with the observed mechanisms of action. CONCLUSIONS: Low cross-reactivity in screens of over 320 targets, including three other human dehydrogenases/reductases, suggest selectivity of the present inhibitors for 15-PGDH. The high potencies and different mechanisms of action of these chemotypes make them a useful set of complementary chemical probes for functional studies of prostaglandin-signaling pathways. ENHANCED VERSION: This article can also be viewed as an enhanced version in which the text of the article is integrated with interactive 3D representations and animated transitions. Please note that a web plugin is required to access this enhanced functionality. Instructions for the installation and use of the web plugin are available in Text S2.

Discovery of potent and selective inhibitors of human reticulocyte 15-lipoxygenase-1.

There are a variety of lipoxygenases in the human body (hLO), each having a distinct role in cellular biology. Human reticulocyte 15-lipoxygenase-1 (15-hLO-1), which catalyzes the dioxygenation of 1,4-cis,cis-pentadiene-containing polyunsaturated fatty acids, is implicated in a number of diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative conditions. Despite the potential therapeutic relevance of this target, few inhibitors have been reported that are both potent and selective. To this end, we have employed a quantitative high-throughput (qHTS) screen against ∼74000 small molecules in search of reticulocyte 15-hLO-1 selective inhibitors. This screen led to the discovery of a novel chemotype for 15-hLO-1 inhibition, which displays nM potency and is >7500-fold selective against the related isozymes, 5-hLO, platelet 12-hLO, epithelial 15-hLO-2, ovine cyclooxygenase-1, and human cyclooxygenase-2. In addition, kinetic experiments were performed which indicate that this class of inhibitor is tight binding, reversible, and appears not to reduce the active-site ferric ion.

A miniaturized screen for inhibitors of Jumonji histone demethylases.

2-Oxoglutarate- and Fe(ii)-dependent oxygenases are a major class of N(epsilon)-methyl lysine demethylases that are involved in epigenetic regulation. Assays suitable for implementation in a high-throughput manner have been lacking for these enzymes. Here, we describe the design and implementation of a robust and miniaturized high-throughput kinetic assay for inhibitors of JMJD2E using a formaldehyde dehydrogenase-coupled reaction with real-time fluorescence detection. Reactant compatibility studies resulted in simplification of the assay scheme to the mixing of two reagent solutions, both of which were stable overnight. The assay was miniaturized to a 4 microL volume in 1536-well format and was used to screen the library of pharmacologically active compounds (LOPAC(1280)). Inhibitors identified by the screen were further characterized in secondary assays including FDH counterscreen and demethylation assays that monitored demethylation by MALDI-TOF MS. The assay developed here will enable the screening of large compound libraries against the Jumonji demethylases in a robust and automated fashion.