development-maintenance-preclinical-patient-derived-tumor-xenograft

Development and Maintenance of a Preclinical Patient Derived Tumor Xenograft Model for the Investigation of Novel Anti-Cancer Therapies

Patient derived tumor xenograft (PDTX) models provide a necessary platform in facilitating anti-cancer drug development prior to human trials. Human tumor ...

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is a crucial regulator of cell proliferation, survival, and resistance to apoptosis. MEK inhibitors are being explored as a treatment option for patients with KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer who are not candidates for EGFR-directed therapies. Initial clinical results of MEK inhibitors have yielded limited single-agent activity in colorectal cancer, indicating that rational combination strategies are needed.

Rational combination of a MEK inhibitor, selumetinib, and the Wnt/calcium pathway modulator, cyclosporin A, in preclinical models of colorectal cancer.

The goal of this study was to investigate the activity of the selective MEK1/2 inhibitor TAK-733 in both melanoma cell lines and patient-derived melanoma xenograft models. In vitro cell proliferation assays using the sulforhodamine B assay were conducted to determine TAK-733 potency and melanoma responsiveness. In vivo murine modeling with eleven patient-derived melanoma explants evaluated daily dosing of TAK-733 at 25 or 10 mg/kg. Immunoblotting was performed to evaluate on-target activity and downstream inhibition by TAK-733 in both in vitro and in vivo studies. TAK-733 demonstrated broad activity in most melanoma cell lines with relative resistance observed at IC50 > 0.1 μmol/L in vitro. TAK-733 also exhibited activity in 10 out of 11 patient-derived explants with tumor growth inhibition ranging from 0% to 100% (P < 0.001-0.03). Interestingly, BRAF(V600E) and NRAS mutational status did not correlate with responsiveness to TAK-733. Pharmacodynamically, pERK was suppressed in sensitive cell lines and tumor explants, confirming TAK-733-mediated inhibition of MEK1/2, although the demonstration of similar effects in the relatively resistant cell lines and tumor explants suggests that escape pathways are contributing to melanoma survival and proliferation. These data demonstrate that TAK-733 exhibits robust tumor growth inhibition and regression against human melanoma cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models, suggesting that further clinical development in melanoma is of scientific interest. Particularly interesting is the activity in BRAF wild-type models, where current approved therapy such as vemurafenib has been reported not to be active.

Antitumor activity of the MEK inhibitor TAK-733 against melanoma cell lines and patient-derived tumor explants.

The activation of the MAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways is implicated in the majority of cancers. Activating mutations in both of these pathways has been described in colorectal cancer (CRC), thus indicating their potential as therapeutic targets. This study evaluated the combination of a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor (PF-04691502/PF-502) in combination with a MEK inhibitor (PD-0325901/PD-901) in CRC cell lines and patient-derived CRC tumor xenograft models (PDTX).

Dual pharmacological targeting of the MAP kinase and PI3K/mTOR pathway in preclinical models of colorectal cancer.

Aurora A kinase and MEK inhibitors induce different, and potentially complementary, effects on the cell cycle of malignant cells, suggesting a rational basis for utilizing these agents in combination. In this work, the combination of an Aurora A kinase and MEK inhibitor was evaluated in pre-clinical colorectal cancer models, with a focus on identifying a subpopulation in which it might be most effective. Increased synergistic activity of the drug combination was identified in colorectal cancer cell lines with concomitant KRAS and PIK3CA mutations. Anti-proliferative effects were observed upon treatment of these double-mutant cell lines with the drug combination, and tumor growth inhibition was observed in double-mutant human tumor xenografts, though effects were variable within this subset. Additional evaluation suggests that degree of G2/M delay and p53 mutation status affect apoptotic activity induced by combination therapy with an Aurora A kinase and MEK inhibitor in KRAS and PIK3CA mutant colorectal cancer. Overall, in vitro and in vivo testing was unable to identify a subset of colorectal cancer that was consistently responsive to the combination of a MEK and Aurora A kinase inhibitor.

Combined inhibition of MEK and Aurora A kinase in KRAS/PIK3CA double-mutant colorectal cancer models.

CRC is a significant cause of cancer mortality, and new therapies are needed for patients with advanced disease. TAK-733 is a highly potent and selective investigational novel MEK allosteric site inhibitor.

Antitumor activity of a potent MEK inhibitor, TAK-733, against colorectal cancer cell lines and patient derived xenografts.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease with a poor prognosis. Clinically, TNBC patients have limited treatment options besides chemotherapy. The goal of this study was to determine the kinase dependency in TNBC cell lines and to predict compounds that could inhibit these kinases using integrative bioinformatics analysis.

An integrated bioinformatics analysis to dissect kinase dependency in triple negative breast cancer.

The Aurora kinases are a family of serine/threonine kinases comprised of Aurora A, B, and C which execute critical steps in mitotic and meiotic progression. Alisertib (MLN8237) is an investigational Aurora A selective inhibitor that has demonstrated activity against a wide variety of tumor types in vitro and in vivo, including CRC.

Article	Year
Rational combination of a MEK inhibitor, selumetinib, and the Wnt/calcium pathway modulator, cyclosporin A, in preclinical models of colorectal cancer. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research\| PubMed ID: 23757356	2013
Antitumor activity of the MEK inhibitor TAK-733 against melanoma cell lines and patient-derived tumor explants. Molecular cancer therapeutics\| PubMed ID: 25376610	2015
Dual pharmacological targeting of the MAP kinase and PI3K/mTOR pathway in preclinical models of colorectal cancer. PloS one\| PubMed ID: 25401499	2014
Combined inhibition of MEK and Aurora A kinase in KRAS/PIK3CA double-mutant colorectal cancer models. Frontiers in pharmacology\| PubMed ID: 26136684	2015
Antitumor activity of a potent MEK inhibitor, TAK-733, against colorectal cancer cell lines and patient derived xenografts. Oncotarget\| PubMed ID: 26439693	2015
An integrated bioinformatics analysis to dissect kinase dependency in triple negative breast cancer. BMC genomics\| PubMed ID: 26681397	2015
Antitumor activity of the aurora a selective kinase inhibitor, alisertib, against preclinical models of colorectal cancer. Oncotarget\| PubMed ID: 27385211	2016

Peter J. Klauck

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