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Chattopadhyay S, Hazra R, Mallick A, Gayen S, Roy S. Small-molecule in cancer immunotherapy: Revolutionizing cancer treatment with transformative, game-changing breakthroughs. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189170. [PMID: 39127244 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer management, with antibody-based treatments leading the charge due to their superior pharmacodynamics, including enhanced effectiveness and specificity. However, these therapies are hampered by limitations such as prolonged half-lives, poor tissue and tumor penetration, and minimal oral bioavailability. Additionally, their immunogenic nature can cause adverse effects. Consequently, the focus is shifting towards small-molecule-based immunotherapies, which potentially overcome these drawbacks. Emerging as a promising alternative, small molecules offer the benefits of therapeutic antibodies and immunomodulators, often yielding synergistic effects when combined. Recent advancements in small-molecule cancer immunotherapy are notable, featuring inhibitors, agonists, and degraders that act as immunomodulators. This article delves into the current landscape of small-molecule immunotherapy in cancer treatment, highlighting novel agents targeting key pathways such as Toll-like receptors (TLR), PD-1/PD-L1, chemokine receptors, and stimulators of interferon genes (STING). The review emphasizes newly discovered molecular entities and their modulatory roles in tumorigenesis, many of which have progressed to clinical trials, that aims to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the evolving frontier in cancer treatment, driven by small-molecule immunomodulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumyadeep Chattopadhyay
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata-Group of Institutions, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India
| | - Rudradeep Hazra
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata-Group of Institutions, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India
| | - Arijit Mallick
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata-Group of Institutions, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India
| | - Sakuntala Gayen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata-Group of Institutions, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India
| | - Souvik Roy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata-Group of Institutions, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India.
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Wu M, Wu Y, Jin Y, Mao X, Zeng S, Yu H, Zhang J, Jin Y, Wu Y, Xu T, Chen Y, Wang Y, Yao X, Che J, Huang W, Dong X. Discovery of an Exceptionally Orally Bioavailable and Potent HPK1 PROTAC with Enhancement of Antitumor Efficacy of Anti-PD-L1 Therapy. J Med Chem 2024; 67:13852-13878. [PMID: 39084610 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
HPK1, a well-known negative regulator of T cell receptors, can cause T cell dysfunction when abnormally activated. In this study, a PROTAC C3 was designed and synthesized by optimizing the physicochemical properties of the warhead, linker, and CRBN ligand. C3 demonstrated significant HPK1 degradation with a DC50 of 21.26 nM, excellent oral absorption with a Cmax of 10,899.92 ng/mL, and a bioavailability (F %) of 81.7%. C3 also showed degradation selectivity and potent immune activation effects. Proteomic and WB analyses revealed that immune-activating effect of C3 is attributed to the inhibition of SLP76 and NF-κB signaling pathways, as well as the enhancement of MAPK signaling pathway transduction. In vivo efficacy study demonstrated that oral administration of C3 in combination with anti-PDL1 antibody significantly inhibited tumor growth (tumor growth inhibition = 65.58%). These findings suggest that C3, a novel HPK1 PROTAC, holds promise as a therapeutic agent for tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingfei Wu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yiquan Wu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yuyuan Jin
- Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Xinfei Mao
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Shenxin Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Hengyuan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems of Zhejiang Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Jingyu Zhang
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yuheng Jin
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yizhe Wu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Tengfei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems of Zhejiang Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems of Zhejiang Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yuwei Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang 712046, P. R. China
| | - Xiaojun Yao
- Centre for Artificial Intelligence Driven Drug Discovery, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macau 999078, P. R. China
| | - Jinxin Che
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Wenhai Huang
- Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Xiaowu Dong
- Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, P. R. China
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Choi WS, Kwon H, Yi E, Lee H, Kim JM, Park HJ, Choi EJ, Choi ME, Sung YH, Won CH, Sung CO, Kim HS. HPK1 Dysregulation-Associated NK Cell Dysfunction and Defective Expansion Promotes Metastatic Melanoma Progression. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2400920. [PMID: 38828677 PMCID: PMC11304315 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202400920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Distant metastasis, the leading cause of cancer death, is efficiently kept in check by immune surveillance. Studies have uncovered peripheral natural killer (NK) cells as key antimetastatic effectors and their dysregulation during metastasis. However, the molecular mechanism governing NK cell dysfunction links to metastasis remains elusive. Herein, MAP4K1 encoding HPK1 is aberrantly overexpressed in dysfunctional NK cells in the periphery and the metastatic site. Conditional HPK1 overexpression in NK cells suffices to exacerbate melanoma lung metastasis but not primary tumor growth. Conversely, MAP4K1-deficient mice are resistant to metastasis and further protected by combined immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Mechanistically, HPK1 restrains NK cell cytotoxicity and expansion via activating receptors. Likewise, HPK1 limits human NK cell activation and associates with melanoma NK cell dysfunction couples to TGF-β1 and patient response to immune checkpoint therapy. Thus, HPK1 is an intracellular checkpoint controlling NK-target cell responses, which is dysregulated and hijacked by tumors during metastatic progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo Seon Choi
- Department of MicrobiologyStem Cell Immunomodulation Research CenterAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung‐Joon Kwon
- Department of MicrobiologyStem Cell Immunomodulation Research CenterAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Eunbi Yi
- Department of MicrobiologyStem Cell Immunomodulation Research CenterAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Haeun Lee
- Department of MicrobiologyStem Cell Immunomodulation Research CenterAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Min Kim
- Department of MicrobiologyStem Cell Immunomodulation Research CenterAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo Jin Park
- Department of MicrobiologyStem Cell Immunomodulation Research CenterAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Ji Choi
- Department of DermatologyAsan Institute for Life SciencesAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Myoung Eun Choi
- Department of DermatologyAsan Institute for Life SciencesAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Young Hoon Sung
- Department of Cell and Genetic EngineeringAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Chong Hyun Won
- Department of DermatologyAsan Institute for Life SciencesAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Ohk Sung
- Department of PathologyAsan Medical Institute of Convergence Science and TechnologyAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
| | - Hun Sik Kim
- Department of MicrobiologyStem Cell Immunomodulation Research CenterAsan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul05505Republic of Korea
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Ahn MJ, Kim EH, Choi Y, Chae CH, Kim P, Kim SH. Novel hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 inhibitor KHK-6 enhances T-cell activation. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305261. [PMID: 38923962 PMCID: PMC11207149 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Inhibiting the functional role of negative regulators in immune cells is an effective approach for developing immunotherapies. The serine/threonine kinase hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) involved in the T-cell receptor signaling pathway attenuates T-cell activation by inducing the degradation of SLP-76 through its phosphorylation at Ser-376, reducing the immune response. Interestingly, several studies have shown that the genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of HPK1 kinase activity improves the immune response to cancers by enhancing T-cell activation and cytokine production; therefore, HPK1 could be a promising druggable target for T-cell-based cancer immunotherapy. To increase the immune response against cancer cells, we designed and synthesized KHK-6 and evaluated its cellular activity to inhibit HPK1 and enhance T-cell activation. KHK-6 inhibited HPK1 kinase activity with an IC50 value of 20 nM and CD3/CD28-induced phosphorylation of SLP-76 at Ser-376 Moreover, KHK-6 significantly enhanced CD3/CD28-induced production of cytokines; proportion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells that expressed CD69, CD25, and HLA-DR markers; and T-cell-mediated killing activity of SKOV3 and A549 cells. In conclusion, KHK-6 is a novel ATP-competitive HPK1 inhibitor that blocks the phosphorylation of HPK1 downstream of SLP-76, enhancing the functional activation of T cells. In summary, our study showed the usefulness of KHK-6 in the drug discovery for the HPK1-inhibiting immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Jeong Ahn
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of New Drug Discovery and Development, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Hye Kim
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yunha Choi
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Chong Hak Chae
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Pilho Kim
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Hwan Kim
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of New Drug Discovery and Development, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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Fu S, Wei J, Li C, Zhang N, Yue H, Yang A, Xu J, Dong K, Xing Y, Tong M, Shi X, Xi Z, Wang H, Hou Y, Zhao Y. Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 2,4-diaminopyrimidine derivatives as potent Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 (HPK1) inhibitors. Bioorg Chem 2024; 148:107454. [PMID: 38795581 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
HPK1 also referred to as MAP4K1, belongs to the category of mammalian STE20-like protein serine/threonine kinases. Its physiological function involves the down-regulation of T cell signals, and it is regarded as a new immune checkpoint of tumor immunology. In this study, we commenced our investigation with the hit compounds, focusing the efforts on structural optimization and SAR exploration to identify a novel class of 2,4-diaminopyrimidine HPK1 inhibitors. Notably, compound 14g exhibited a remarkable inhibitory effect on HPK1 kinase (IC50 = 0.15 nM), significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of the downstream adaptor protein SLP76 (pSLP76 IC50 = 27.92 nM), and effectively stimulated the secretion of the T cell activation marker IL-2 (EC50 = 46.64 nM). In vitro microsomal stability assay, compound 14g showed moderate stability in HLMs with T1/2 = 38.2 min and CLint = 36.4 µL·min-1·mg-1 proteins. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies, compound 14g demonstrated heightened plasma exposure (AUC0-inf = 644 ng·h·mL-1), extended half-life (T1/2 = 9.98 h), and reduced plasma clearance (CL = 52.3 mL·min-1·kg-1) compared to the reference compound after a single intravenous dose of 2 mg/kg in rats. These results indicated that compound 14g emerged as a promising inhibitor of HPK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Fu
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Jiakuan Wei
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Chunting Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Na Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Hao Yue
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Ao Yang
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Jichang Xu
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Kuan Dong
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Yongpeng Xing
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Minghui Tong
- 3D BioOptima, 1338 Wuzhong Avenue, Suzhou 215104, China
| | - Xuan Shi
- 3D BioOptima, 1338 Wuzhong Avenue, Suzhou 215104, China
| | - Zhiguo Xi
- 3D BioOptima, 1338 Wuzhong Avenue, Suzhou 215104, China
| | - Han Wang
- 3D BioOptima, 1338 Wuzhong Avenue, Suzhou 215104, China
| | - Yunlei Hou
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China.
| | - Yanfang Zhao
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China.
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6
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Chitre AS, Wu P, Walters BT, Wang X, Bouyssou A, Du X, Lehoux I, Fong R, Arata A, Chan J, Wang D, Franke Y, Grogan JL, Mellman I, Comps-Agrar L, Wang W. HPK1 citron homology domain regulates phosphorylation of SLP76 and modulates kinase domain interaction dynamics. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3725. [PMID: 38697971 PMCID: PMC11066036 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48014-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is a negative regulator of T-cell receptor signaling and as such is an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. Although the role of the HPK1 kinase domain (KD) has been extensively characterized, the function of its citron homology domain (CHD) remains elusive. Through a combination of structural, biochemical, and mechanistic studies, we characterize the structure-function of CHD in relationship to KD. Crystallography and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry reveal that CHD adopts a seven-bladed β-propellor fold that binds to KD. Mutagenesis associated with binding and functional studies show a direct correlation between domain-domain interaction and negative regulation of kinase activity. We further demonstrate that the CHD provides stability to HPK1 protein in cells as well as contributes to the docking of its substrate SLP76. Altogether, this study highlights the importance of the CHD in the direct and indirect regulation of HPK1 function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ping Wu
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | | | - Xiangdan Wang
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | | | - Xiangnan Du
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Isabelle Lehoux
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
- Gilead Sciences, Inc., 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA, 94404, USA
| | - Rina Fong
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Alisa Arata
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Joyce Chan
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Die Wang
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Yvonne Franke
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Jane L Grogan
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
- GraphiteBio, Incl., 1400 Sierra Point Parkway, Brisbane, CA, 94005, USA
| | - Ira Mellman
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
| | | | - Weiru Wang
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
- Frontier Medicines, 151 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
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Chen H, Guan X, He C, Lu T, Lin X, Liao X. Current strategies for targeting HPK1 in cancer and the barriers to preclinical progress. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2024; 28:237-250. [PMID: 38650383 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2024.2344697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a 97-kDa serine/threonine Ste20-related protein kinase, functions as an intracellular negative regulator, primarily in hematopoietic lineage cells, where it regulates T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, and other immune cells. Loss of HPK1 kinase activity results in exacerbated cytokine secretion, enhanced T cell signaling, improved viral clearance, and thus increased restraint of tumor growth. These findings highlight HPK1 as a promising target for immuno-oncology treatments, culminating in the advancement of candidate compounds targeting HPK1 to clinical trials by several biotech enterprises. AREAS COVERED Through searching PubMed, Espacenet-patent search, and clinicaltrials.gov, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of HPK1, encompassing its structure and roles in various downstream signaling pathways, the consequences of constitutive activation of HPK1, and potential therapeutic strategies to treat HPK1-driven malignancies. Moreover, the review outlines the patents issued for small molecule inhibitors and clinical investigations of HPK1. EXPERT OPINION To enhance the success of tumor immunotherapy in clinical trials, it is important to develop protein degraders, allosteric inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates based on the crystal structure of HPK1, and to explore combination therapy approaches. Although several challenges remain, the development of HPK1 inhibitors display promising in preclinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangna Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Chi He
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Tingting Lu
- Zhuhai Yufan Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xingyu Lin
- Zhuhai Yufan Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xuebin Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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Zeng S, Wu M, Jin Y, Ye Y, Xia H, Chen X, Che J, Wang Z, Wu Y, Dong X, Chen Y, Huang W. Discovery of novel, potent, selective and orally bioavailable HPK1 inhibitor for enhancing the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 antibody. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 267:116206. [PMID: 38350360 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a serine/threonine kinase in the MAP4K family, is expressed predominantly in immune cells, and has been identified as a negative regulator of immune signaling. Accumulating evidences demonstrated that loss of HPK1 kinase function effectively enhances anti-tumor responses. In this study, we disclose the medicinal chemistry campaigns to discovery potent, selective, and orally active HPK1 inhibitors, starting from our previous work based on rigidification strategy. Systematically structure-activity relationship (SAR) exploration led to the identification of F03 (HMC-B17). The representative compound, HMC-B17, showed the potent HPK1 inhibition with an IC50 value of 1.39 nM and favorable selectivity against TCR-related kinases. In addition, the HMC-B17 effectively enhanced the IL-2 secretion in Jurkat cells (EC50 = 11.56 nM). Strikingly, immune-reverse effects and improved immune response in vivo were observed after HMC-B17 treatment. Furthermore, HMC-B17 combined with anti-PD-L1 antibody demonstrated a synergistic antitumor efficacy with TGI% value of 71.24 % in CT26 model. Collectively, our findings suggest that HMC-B17 could be a valuable lead compound to develop a safe and potent HPK1 inhibitor for further cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenxin Zeng
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, PR China.
| | - Mingfei Wu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Yuyuan Jin
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, PR China
| | - Yingqiao Ye
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, PR China
| | - Heye Xia
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, PR China
| | - Xinyi Chen
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, PR China
| | - Jinxin Che
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Zunyuan Wang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, PR China
| | - Ying Wu
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China
| | - Xiaowu Dong
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China.
| | - Yinqiao Chen
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China.
| | - Wenhai Huang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311399, PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, PR China.
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Wang F, Fu K, Wang Y, Pan C, Wang X, Liu Z, Yang C, Zheng Y, Li X, Lu Y, To KKW, Xia C, Zhang J, Shi Z, Hu Z, Huang M, Fu L. Small-molecule agents for cancer immunotherapy. Acta Pharm Sin B 2024; 14:905-952. [PMID: 38486980 PMCID: PMC10935485 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy, exemplified by the remarkable clinical benefits of the immune checkpoint blockade and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, is revolutionizing cancer therapy. They induce long-term tumor regression and overall survival benefit in many types of cancer. With the advances in our knowledge about the tumor immune microenvironment, remarkable progress has been made in the development of small-molecule drugs for immunotherapy. Small molecules targeting PRR-associated pathways, immune checkpoints, oncogenic signaling, metabolic pathways, cytokine/chemokine signaling, and immune-related kinases have been extensively investigated. Monotherapy of small-molecule immunotherapeutic drugs and their combinations with other antitumor modalities are under active clinical investigations to overcome immune tolerance and circumvent immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance. Here, we review the latest development of small-molecule agents for cancer immunotherapy by targeting defined pathways and highlighting their progress in recent clinical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Kai Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Yujue Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Can Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Xueping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Zeyu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Chuan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Ying Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xiaopeng Li
- Department of Cell Biology & Institute of Biomedicine, National Engineering Research Center of Genetic Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yu Lu
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Kenneth Kin Wah To
- School of Pharmacy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Chenglai Xia
- Affiliated Foshan Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan 528000, China
| | - Jianye Zhang
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Zhi Shi
- Department of Cell Biology & Institute of Biomedicine, National Engineering Research Center of Genetic Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Zeping Hu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Min Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Liwu Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
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10
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Zeng S, Jin Y, Xia H, Shang Y, Li Y, Wang Z, Huang W. Discovery of highly efficient CRBN-recruiting HPK1-PROTAC as a potential chemical tool for investigation of scaffolding roles in TCR signaling. Bioorg Chem 2024; 143:107016. [PMID: 38086239 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.107016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1, MAP4K1) is a promising target for immune-oncology therapy. It has been recently demonstrated that loss of HPK1 kinase activity can enhance T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. However, many essential functions mediated by the HPK1 scaffolding role are still beyond the reach of any kinase inhibitor. Proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) has emerged as a promising strategy for pathogenic proteins degradation with the characteristics of rapid, reversible, and low-cost versus RNA interference or DNA knock-out technology. Herein we first disclosed the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a series of thalidomide-based PROTAC molecules and identified B1 as a highly efficient HPK1 degrader with DC50 value of 1.8 nM. Further mechanism investigation demonstrated that compound B1 inhibits phosphorylation of the SLP76 protein with IC50 value of 496.1 nM, and confirmed that B1 is a bona fide HPK1-PROTAC degrader. Thus, this study provides a basis for HPK1 degraders development and the candidate could be used as a potential chemical tool for further investigation of the kinase-independent signaling of HPK1 in TCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenxin Zeng
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China.
| | - Yuyuan Jin
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Heye Xia
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Yanwei Shang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Yingzhou Li
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Zunyuan Wang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Wenhai Huang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China.
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11
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Zhang J, Ren Z, Hu Y, Shang S, Wang R, Ma J, Zhang Z, Wu M, Wang F, Yu J, Chen D. High HPK1 +PD-1 +TIM-3 +CD8 + T cells infiltration predicts poor prognosis to immunotherapy in NSCLC patients. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 127:111363. [PMID: 38101218 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
At present the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remains limited. The lack of responsiveness in certain patients may be attributed to CD8+ T cell exhaustion within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) has been identified as a mediator of T cell dysfunction, leading to our hypothesis that HPK1 positive exhausted CD8+ T cells could serve as a predictor for ICIs' efficacy in NSCLC patients, and potentially indicate key cellular subset causing ICIs resistance. Here, we retrospectively collected tumor tissue samples from 36 NSCLC patients who underwent first-line immunotherapy. Using multiplex immunohistochemistry, we visualized various PD-1+CD8+ T cell subsets and explore biomarkers for response. The analysis endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), progression free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS), correlating them with levels of cell infiltration or effective density. We found that the proportion of PD-1+CD8+ T cell subsets did not align with predictions for ORR, PFS, and OS. Conversely, a high infiltration of HPK1+PD-1+TIM-3+CD8+ T cells was identified as an independent risk factor for both PFS (P = 0.019) and OS (P = 0.03). These cells were found to express the highest levels of Granzyme B, and the secretion of Granzyme B in CD8+ T cell subsets was related to TCF-1. In conclusion, these data suggest that a high infiltration of HPK1+PD-1+TIM-3+CD8+ T cells correlates with poor clinical outcomes in NSCLC patients receiving immunotherapy. These cells may represent terminally exhausted T cells that fail to respond to ICIs, thereby laying the groundwork for the potential integration of HPK1 inhibitors with immunotherapy to enhance treatment strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxin Zhang
- Shandong University Cancer Center, Jinan, Shandong, China; Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Ziyuan Ren
- Shandong University Cancer Center, Jinan, Shandong, China; Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yun Hu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shijie Shang
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China; Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ruiyang Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jiachun Ma
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China; Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zengfu Zhang
- Shandong University Cancer Center, Jinan, Shandong, China; Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Meng Wu
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jinming Yu
- Shandong University Cancer Center, Jinan, Shandong, China; Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China; Research Unit of Radiation Oncology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China.
| | - Dawei Chen
- Shandong University Cancer Center, Jinan, Shandong, China; Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China.
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12
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Nammalwar B, Bunce RA. Recent Advances in Pyrimidine-Based Drugs. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:104. [PMID: 38256937 PMCID: PMC10820437 DOI: 10.3390/ph17010104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Pyrimidines have become an increasingly important core structure in many drug molecules over the past 60 years. This article surveys recent areas in which pyrimidines have had a major impact in drug discovery therapeutics, including anti-infectives, anticancer, immunology, immuno-oncology, neurological disorders, chronic pain, and diabetes mellitus. The article presents the synthesis of the medicinal agents and highlights the role of the biological target with respect to the disease model. Additionally, the biological potency, ADME properties and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (if available) are discussed. This survey attempts to demonstrate the versatility of pyrimidine-based drugs, not only for their potency and affinity but also for the improved medicinal chemistry properties of pyrimidine as a bioisostere for phenyl and other aromatic π systems. It is hoped that this article will provide insight to researchers considering the pyrimidine scaffold as a chemotype in future drug candidates in order to counteract medical conditions previously deemed untreatable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baskar Nammalwar
- Vividion Therapeutics, 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA;
| | - Richard A. Bunce
- Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
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13
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Setsu G, Goto M, Ito K, Taira T, Miyamoto M, Watanabe T, Taniguchi T, Umezaki Y, Nakazawa Y, Uesugi S, Mori K, Horiuchi T, Obuchi W, Minami M, Shimada T, Wada C, Yoshida T, Higuchi S. Highly potent, orally active novel small-molecule HPK1 inhibitor DS21150768 induces anti-tumor responses in multiple syngeneic tumor mouse models. Eur J Pharmacol 2023; 961:176184. [PMID: 37944847 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Augmenting T-cell activity is a promising approach to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy treatment. Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is predominantly expressed in immune cells and negatively regulates T-cell receptor signaling. It is reported that inhibition of the kinase function of HPK1 results in tumor growth suppression by enhancing cancer immunity. Thus, developing HPK1 inhibitors has attracted considerable attention as a future cancer immunotherapy approach. However, despite recent progress in HPK1 biology and pharmacology, various challenges still remain, such as developing HPK1 inhibitors with favorable pharmacological profiles and identifying tumor characteristics that can be applied to define susceptibility to HPK1 inhibition. Here, we present the identification and pharmacological evaluation of DS21150768, a potent small-molecule HPK1 inhibitor with a novel chemical scaffold. DS21150768 shows remarkable inhibition of HPK1 kinase activity, and in vitro studies demonstrated its potent activity to enhance T-cell function. DS21150768 is orally bioavailable and shows sustained plasma exposure, which leads to enhanced cytokine responses in vivo. We conducted a comparison of the anti-tumor efficacy of DS21150768 alone or in combination with anti-PD-1 antibody in 12 different mouse cancer cell models, and observed that the treatments suppressed tumor growth in multiple models. Furthermore, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis demonstrated significant enrichment of immune-related gene signatures in the tumor models responsive to DS21150768 treatment. Our results provide a path forward for the future development of HPK1 inhibitors and fundamental insights into biomarkers of HPK1-targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genzui Setsu
- Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 140-8710, Japan.
| | - Megumi Goto
- Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 140-8710, Japan
| | - Kentaro Ito
- Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 140-8710, Japan
| | - Tomoe Taira
- Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 140-8710, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Yuma Umezaki
- Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 140-8710, Japan
| | | | | | - Kazuki Mori
- Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 140-8710, Japan
| | | | | | - Masako Minami
- Daiichi Sankyo RD Novare Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 134-8630, Japan
| | | | - Chisa Wada
- Daiichi Sankyo RD Novare Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 134-8630, Japan
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14
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Zhao M, Yan CY, Wei YN, Zhao XH. Breaking the mold: Overcoming resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Antiviral Res 2023; 219:105720. [PMID: 37748652 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade-based therapies are effective against a sorts of cancers. However, drug resistance is a problem that cannot be ignored. This review intends to elucidate the mechanisms underlying drug tolerance induced by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, as well as to outline proposed mechanism-based combination therapies and small molecule drugs that target intrinsic immunity and immune checkpoints. According to the differences of patients and types of cancer, the optimization of individualized combination therapy will help to enhance PD-1/PD-L1-mediated immunoregulation, reduce chemotherapy resistance, and provide new ideas for chemotherapy-resistant cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menglu Zhao
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, PR China
| | - Chun-Yan Yan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, PR China
| | - Ya-Nan Wei
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, PR China
| | - Xi-He Zhao
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, PR China.
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15
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Yang L, Zhao Q, Chen T, Liu W, Qiu X, Chen J, Huang S, Huang R, Dong L. An HPK1 inhibitor enhanced the tumour response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Clin Exp Med 2023; 23:3767-3780. [PMID: 37106265 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-023-01068-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Anti-PD-1 immunotherapy has been widely applied in patients with some types of lymphoma. Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL) is highly sensitive to immunotherapy, but non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) does not show a good response. Studies have indicated that haematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) suppresses T cells and reduces antitumour immunity. Therefore, HPK1 inhibitors may restore and elicit antitumour immune responses and are promising candidate drug targets for cancer immunotherapy. We first explored the Gene Expression Profile Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database and predicted that HPK1 expression was increased in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and associated with Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) expression. We investigated whether an HPK1 inhibitor could enhance the tumour response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in NHL and the association between HPK1 and NLRP3 expression. Employing shHPK1 and an inhibitor, we demonstrated that the HPK1 inhibitor increased anti-PD-1-mediated T-cell cytotoxicity in BJAB and WSU-DLCL2 cells cocultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). HPK1 inhibitor treatment increased PD-1, PD-L1, Bax, p53 and NK-kB expression but decreased NLRP3 expression, indicating that the HPK1 inhibitor promoted apoptosis and blocked the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway to affect anti-PD-1-mediated T-cell cytotoxicity. Moreover, the HPK1 inhibitor enhanced the efficiency of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in vivo in a zebrafish xenograft model of NHL. In summary, this study provides evidence that an HPK1 inhibitor enhanced the tumour response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in NHL by promoting apoptosis and blocking the NLRP3 pathway. These findings provide a potential therapeutic option for NHL combining HPK1 inhibitor treatment and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuma Road 420#, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
| | - Qiuling Zhao
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuma Road 420#, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Ting Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuma Road 420#, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuma Road 420#, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Xiuliang Qiu
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuma Road 420#, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Jincan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fujian College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Shengqiang Huang
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuma Road 420#, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Ruyi Huang
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuma Road 420#, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Liangliang Dong
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuma Road 420#, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
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16
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Zhang J, Li Y, Tang H, Zhou Q, Tong L, Ding J, Xie H, Xiong B, Liu T. Design and synthesis of 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) inhibitors. Bioorg Chem 2023; 140:106811. [PMID: 37659145 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Despite immune checkpoint inhibitors' tremendous success in the treatment of tumors, the moderate response rate limits their widespread use. Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is served as an essential negative regulator of T-cell receptor, which has been identified as a promising target for enhancing antitumor immunity. However, the development of a selective HPK1 inhibitor is still challenging. Herein, we reported a novel series of 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as HPK1 inhibitors by structure-based rational design. The optimal compound 10n significantly inhibited HPK1 with an IC50 value of 29.0 nM and the phosphorylation of SLP76 at a concentration as low as 0.1 μM. Furthermore, compound 10n exhibited good selectivity over a panel of 25 kinases, including GLK from the same MAP4K family. Together, the current study provided a novel, potent, and selective HPK1 inhibitor, acting as a lead compound for the future development of cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Yan Li
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China
| | - Haotian Tang
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Qianqian Zhou
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, PR China
| | - Linjiang Tong
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China
| | - Jian Ding
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, PR China
| | - Hua Xie
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan 528400, PR China.
| | - Bing Xiong
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Tongchao Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, PR China.
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17
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Schlicher L, Green LG, Romagnani A, Renner F. Small molecule inhibitors for cancer immunotherapy and associated biomarkers - the current status. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1297175. [PMID: 38022587 PMCID: PMC10644399 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1297175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Following the success of cancer immunotherapy using large molecules against immune checkpoint inhibitors, the concept of using small molecules to interfere with intracellular negative regulators of anti-tumor immune responses has emerged in recent years. The main targets for small molecule drugs currently include enzymes of negative feedback loops in signaling pathways of immune cells and proteins that promote immunosuppressive signals within the tumor microenvironment. In the adaptive immune system, negative regulators of T cell receptor signaling (MAP4K1, DGKα/ζ, CBL-B, PTPN2, PTPN22, SHP1), co-receptor signaling (CBL-B) and cytokine signaling (PTPN2) have been preclinically validated as promising targets and initial clinical trials with small molecule inhibitors are underway. To enhance innate anti-tumor immune responses, inhibitory immunomodulation of cGAS/STING has been in the focus, and inhibitors of ENPP1 and TREX1 have reached the clinic. In addition, immunosuppressive signals via adenosine can be counteracted by CD39 and CD73 inhibition, while suppression via intratumoral immunosuppressive prostaglandin E can be targeted by EP2/EP4 antagonists. Here, we present the status of the most promising small molecule drug candidates for cancer immunotherapy, all residing relatively early in development, and the potential of relevant biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Schlicher
- Cancer Cell Targeted Therapy, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Luke G. Green
- Therapeutic Modalities, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Romagnani
- Cancer Cell Targeted Therapy, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Florian Renner
- Cancer Cell Targeted Therapy, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
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18
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Zeng S, Zeng M, Yuan S, He L, Jin Y, Huang J, Zhang M, Yang M, Pan Y, Wang Z, Chen Y, Xu X, Huang W. Discovery of potent and selective HPK1 inhibitors based on the 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidine scaffold with immune modulatory properties for ameliorating T cell exhaustion. Bioorg Chem 2023; 139:106728. [PMID: 37536217 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP4K) family, is a serine/threonine (SER/THR) kinase and has been demonstrated as a negative regulator of T cell receptor signaling. Targeting HPK1 has been considered as an attractive therapeutic strategy for immune-oncology. Here, we describe the discovery and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of potent HPK1 inhibitors based on the 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidine scaffold. Systematically SAR exploration afforded the desired compound HMC-H8 (F1) with potent HPK1 inhibition (IC50 = 1.11 nM) and highly selectivity profile. Compound HMC-H8 also exhibited robust inhibition of p-SLP 76 (IC50 = 283.0 nM) and promotion IL-2 release (EC50 = 157.08 nM), and INF-γ production in a dose-dependent manner in vitro assays. Strikingly, HMC-H8 shown effective immune reversal response in immunesuppressive condition. Moreover, Compound HMC-H8 displayed acceptable metabolic stability (T1/2 = 56.87 min), along with low CYP450 inhibition in human liver microsomes and good oral bioavailability (F = 15.05%) in rat. Furthermore, HMC-H8 was found to modulate the expression of c-Myc in Western blotting experiments. Taken together, this study provides new potent HPK1 inhibitors for further anticancer drug discovery based on immuno-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenxin Zeng
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College
| | - Ming Zeng
- School of Pharmacy and Life Science, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332005 China
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College
| | - Liuxun He
- School of Pharmacy and Life Science, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332005 China
| | - Yuyuan Jin
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College
| | - Jiandong Huang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China
| | - Manxuan Zhang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China
| | - Menghan Yang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China
| | - Youlu Pan
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College
| | - Zunyuan Wang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College
| | - Yinqiao Chen
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China
| | - Xiangwei Xu
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China.
| | - Wenhai Huang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College.
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19
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Toure M, Johnson T, Li B, Schmidt R, Ma H, Neagu C, Lopez AU, Wang Y, Guler S, Xiao Y, Henkes R, Ho K, Zhang S, Chu CL, Gundra UM, Porichis F, Li L, Maurer CK, Fang Z, Musil D, DiPoto M, Friis E, Jones R, Jones C, Cummings J, Chekler E, Tanzer EM, Huck B, Sherer B. Discovery of quinazoline HPK1 inhibitors with high cellular potency. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 92:117423. [PMID: 37531921 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Momar Toure
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States.
| | - Theresa Johnson
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Bin Li
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Ralf Schmidt
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Hong Ma
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Constantin Neagu
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Andrea Unzue Lopez
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Yanping Wang
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Satenig Guler
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - YuFang Xiao
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Renate Henkes
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Kevin Ho
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Susan Zhang
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Chia Lin Chu
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Uma Mahesh Gundra
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Filippos Porichis
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Long Li
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Christine Katharina Maurer
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Zhizhou Fang
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Djordje Musil
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Maria DiPoto
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Emily Friis
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Reinaldo Jones
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Christopher Jones
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - James Cummings
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Eugene Chekler
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Eva Maria Tanzer
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Bayard Huck
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
| | - Brian Sherer
- Discovery & Development Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, United States
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20
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Green JR, Mahalingaiah PKS, Gopalakrishnan SM, Liguori MJ, Mittelstadt SW, Blomme EAG, Van Vleet TR. Off-target pharmacological activity at various kinases: Potential functional and pathological side effects. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2023; 123:107468. [PMID: 37553032 DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2023.107468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
In drug discovery, during the lead optimization and candidate characterization stages, novel small molecules are frequently evaluated in a battery of in vitro pharmacology assays to identify potential unintended, off-target interactions with various receptors, transporters, ion channels, and enzymes, including kinases. Furthermore, these screening panels may also provide utility at later stages of development to provide a mechanistic understanding of unexpected safety findings. Here, we present a compendium of the most likely functional and pathological outcomes associated with interaction(s) to a panel of 95 kinases based on an extensive curation of the scientific literature. This panel of kinases was designed by AbbVie based on safety-related data extracted from the literature, as well as from over 20 years of institutional knowledge generated from discovery efforts. For each kinase, the scientific literature was reviewed using online databases and the most often reported functional and pathological effects were summarized. This work should serve as a practical guide for small molecule drug discovery scientists and clinical investigators to predict and/or interpret adverse effects related to pharmacological interactions with these kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathon R Green
- Departments of Preclinical Safety, AbbVie, 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States.
| | | | - Sujatha M Gopalakrishnan
- Drug Discovery Science and Technology, AbbVie, 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States
| | - Michael J Liguori
- Departments of Preclinical Safety, AbbVie, 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States
| | - Scott W Mittelstadt
- Departments of Preclinical Safety, AbbVie, 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States
| | - Eric A G Blomme
- Departments of Preclinical Safety, AbbVie, 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States
| | - Terry R Van Vleet
- Departments of Preclinical Safety, AbbVie, 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States
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21
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Zhou L, Ye X, Wang K, Shen H, Wang T, Zhang X, Jiang S, Xiao Y, Zhang K. Discovery of diaminotriazine carboxamides as potent inhibitors of hematopoetic progenitor kinase 1. Bioorg Chem 2023; 138:106682. [PMID: 37339563 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a member of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase (MAP4K) family of Ste20 serine/threonine kinases, is a negative regulator of T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Inactivating HPK1 kinase has been reported to be sufficient to elicit antitumor immune response. Therefore, HPK1 has attracted much attention as a promising target for tumor immunotherapy. A few of HPK1 inhibitors have been reported, and none of them have been approved for clinical applications. Hence, more effective HPK1 inhibitors are needed. Herein, a series of structurally novel diaminotriazine carboxamides were rationally designed, synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against HPK1 kinase. Most of them exhibited potent inhibitory potency against HPK1 kinase. In particular, compound 15b showed more robust HPK1 inhibitory activity than that of 11d developed by Merck in kinase activity assay (IC50 = 3.1 and 8.2 nM, respectively). The significant inhibitory potency against SLP76 phosphorylation in Jurkat T cells further confirmed the efficacy of compound 15b. In human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) functional assays, compound 15b more significantly induced the production of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interferon γ (IFN-γ) relative to 11d. Furthermore, 15b alone or in combination with anti-PD-1 antibodies showed potent in vivo antitumor efficacy in MC38 tumor-bearing mice. Compound 15b represents a promising lead for the development of effective HPK1 small-molecule inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixin Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiuquan Ye
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Kaizhen Wang
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Hongtao Shen
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Tianyu Wang
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiangyu Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Sheng Jiang
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Yibei Xiao
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Kuojun Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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22
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Wang H, Moniruzzaman R, Li L, Ji B, Liu Y, Zuo X, Abbasgholizadeh R, Zhao J, Liu G, Wang R, Tang H, Sun R, Su X, Tan TH, Maitra A, Wang H. Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 inhibits the development and progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e163873. [PMID: 37140994 PMCID: PMC10266776 DOI: 10.1172/jci163873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Ras plays an essential role in the development of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, mutant Kras is an inefficient driver for PDAC development. The mechanisms of the switching from low Ras activity to high Ras activity that are required for development and progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) are unclear. In this study, we found that hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) was upregulated during pancreatic injury and ADM. HPK1 interacted with the SH3 domain and phosphorylated Ras GTPase-activating protein (RasGAP) and upregulated RasGAP activity. Using transgenic mouse models of HPK1 or M46, a kinase-dead mutant of HPK1, we showed that HPK1 inhibited Ras activity and its downstream signaling and regulated acinar cell plasticity. M46 promoted the development of ADM and PanINs. Expression of M46 in KrasG12D Bac mice promoted the infiltration of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and macrophages, inhibited the infiltration of T cells, and accelerated the progression of PanINs to invasive and metastatic PDAC, while HPK1 attenuated mutant Kras-driven PanIN progression. Our results showed that HPK1 plays an important role in ADM and the progression of PanINs by regulating Ras signaling. Loss of HPK1 kinase activity promotes an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and accelerates the progression of PanINs to PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and
| | - Rohan Moniruzzaman
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Baoan Ji
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and
| | | | - Reza Abbasgholizadeh
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jun Zhao
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Guangchao Liu
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ruiqi Wang
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Ryan Sun
- Department of Biostatistics, and
| | - Xiaoping Su
- Advanced Technology Genomics Core
- Department of Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Tse-Hua Tan
- Immunology Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology and
- Sheikh Ahmed Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Huamin Wang
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology and
- Sheikh Ahmed Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
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23
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Wu F, Li H, An Q, Sun Y, Yu J, Cao W, Sun P, Diao X, Meng L, Xu S. Discovery of 7H-Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine Derivatives as potent hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 254:115355. [PMID: 37062169 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells and is a negative regulator of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Recent studies have demonstrated that HPK1 is a promising therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. However, despite significant progress in the development of HPK1 inhibitors, none of them has been approved for cancer therapy. Development of HPK1 inhibitors with a structurally distinct scaffold is still needed. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a series of HPK1 inhibitors with a 7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine scaffold, exemplified by 31. Compound 31 showed potent inhibitory activity against HPK1 with an IC50 value of 3.5 nM and favorable selectivity within a panel of kinases. It also potently inhibited the phosphorylation level of SLP76, a substrate of HPK1, and enhanced the IL-2 secretion in Jurkat cells (human T cell leukemia). Our findings provide new clues for further optimization and development to generate HPK1 inhibitors for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Wu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, #555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Science, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Huiyu Li
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Science, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qi An
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yaoliang Sun
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, #555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Jinghua Yu
- Shanghai Center for Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Wenting Cao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, #555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Pu Sun
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Xingxing Diao
- Shanghai Center for Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Linghua Meng
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Science, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Shilin Xu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, #555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Science, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China.
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24
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Gallego RA, Bernier L, Chen H, Cho-Schultz S, Chung L, Collins M, Del Bel M, Elleraas J, Costa Jones C, Cronin CN, Edwards M, Fang X, Fisher T, He M, Hoffman J, Huo R, Jalaie M, Johnson E, Johnson TW, Kania RS, Kraus M, Lafontaine J, Le P, Liu T, Maestre M, Matthews J, McTigue M, Miller N, Mu Q, Qin X, Ren S, Richardson P, Rohner A, Sach N, Shao L, Smith G, Su R, Sun B, Timofeevski S, Tran P, Wang S, Wang W, Zhou R, Zhu J, Nair SK. Design and Synthesis of Functionally Active 5-Amino-6-Aryl Pyrrolopyrimidine Inhibitors of Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1. J Med Chem 2023; 66:4888-4909. [PMID: 36940470 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c02038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2023]
Abstract
Immune activating agents represent a valuable class of therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. An area of active research is expanding the types of these therapeutics that are available to patients via targeting new biological mechanisms. Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is a negative regulator of immune signaling and a target of high interest for the treatment of cancer. Herein, we present the discovery and optimization of novel amino-6-aryl pyrrolopyrimidine inhibitors of HPK1 starting from hits identified via virtual screening. Key components of this discovery effort were structure-based drug design aided by analyses of normalized B-factors and optimization of lipophilic efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Gallego
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Louise Bernier
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Hui Chen
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Sujin Cho-Schultz
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Loanne Chung
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Michael Collins
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Matthew Del Bel
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jeff Elleraas
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Cinthia Costa Jones
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ciaran N Cronin
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Martin Edwards
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Xu Fang
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Timothy Fisher
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Mingying He
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jacqui Hoffman
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ruiduan Huo
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Mehran Jalaie
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Eric Johnson
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ted W Johnson
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Robert S Kania
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Manfred Kraus
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jennifer Lafontaine
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Phuong Le
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Tongnan Liu
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Michael Maestre
- La Jolla Laboratories, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jean Matthews
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Michele McTigue
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Nichol Miller
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Qiming Mu
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Xulong Qin
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Shijian Ren
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Paul Richardson
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Allison Rohner
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Neal Sach
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Li Shao
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Graham Smith
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ruirui Su
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Bin Sun
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Sergei Timofeevski
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Phuong Tran
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Shuiwang Wang
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ru Zhou
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jinjiang Zhu
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Sajiv K Nair
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
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25
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Li S, Chen T, Liu J, Zhang H, Li J, Wang Z, Shang G. PROTACs: Novel tools for improving immunotherapy in cancer. Cancer Lett 2023; 560:216128. [PMID: 36933781 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Posttranslational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation, methylation, ubiquitination, and acetylation, are important in governing protein expression levels. Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are novel structures designed to target a protein of interest (POI) for ubiquitination and degradation, leading to the selective reduction in the expression levels of the POI. PROTACs have exhibited great promise due to their ability to target undruggable proteins, including several transcription factors. Recently, PROTACs have been characterized to improve anticancer immunotherapy via the regulation of specific proteins. In this review, we describe how the PROTACs target several molecules, including HDAC6, IDO1, EGFR, FoxM1, PD-L1, SHP2, HPK1, BCL-xL, BET proteins, NAMPT, and COX-1/2, to regulate immunotherapy in human cancers. PROTACs may provide potential treatment benefits by enhancing immunotherapy in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizhe Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110004, China.
| | - Ting Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110004, China.
| | - Jinxin Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110004, China.
| | - He Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110004, China.
| | - Jiatong Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110004, China.
| | - Zhiwei Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Laboratory Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui, 233030, China; The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China.
| | - Guanning Shang
- Department of Orthopedics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110004, China.
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26
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Stumpf A, Xu D, Ranjan R, Angelaud R, Gosselin F. A Convergent Synthesis of HPK1 Inhibitor GNE-6893 via Palladium-Catalyzed Functionalization of a Tetrasubstituted Isoquinoline. Org Process Res Dev 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.2c00384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Stumpf
- Department of Small Molecule Process Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Di Xu
- Department of Small Molecule Process Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Rohit Ranjan
- Department of Small Molecule Process Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Remy Angelaud
- Department of Small Molecule Process Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Francis Gosselin
- Department of Small Molecule Process Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
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27
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Shi H, Tang H, Li Y, Chen D, Liu T, Chen Y, Wang X, Chen L, Wang Y, Xie H, Xiong B. Development of a series of quinazoline-2,5-diamine derivatives as potent hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 248:115064. [PMID: 36621137 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.115064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is a serine/threonine kinase that serves as the negative regulator of multiple immune signaling pathways. Genetic studies using HPK1 knockout and kinase-dead mice suggested that inhibiting HPK1 either alone or in combination with immune checkpoint blockade could be a promising strategy in cancer immunotherapy. Herein, we report the design, synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of a series of potent HPK1 inhibitors bearing quinazoline-2,5-diamine scaffold. Three rounds of SAR exploration led to the identification of 9h, the most potent compound in this series which harbors a 2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-7-yl substituent. Further biological assessments using human immune cells demonstrated that 9h could strongly inhibit downstream phosphorylation, augment interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and reverse prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-induced immune suppression. Overall, our study on these quinazoline-2,5-diamine derivatives provided not only a tool compound for the community to help with elucidating the HPK1 pharmacology, but also a reliable reference for subsequent development of HPK1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanyu Shi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Haotian Tang
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yan Li
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Danqi Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Tongchao Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yuting Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hua Xie
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan 528400, China.
| | - Bing Xiong
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.
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28
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Ge H, Tang C, Pan Y, Yao X. Theoretical Studies on Selectivity of HPK1/JAK1 Inhibitors by Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Free Energy Calculations. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032649. [PMID: 36768974 PMCID: PMC9916865 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is a negative regulator of T cell receptor, which has been regarded as a potential target for immunotherapy. Yu et al. observed the off-target effect of the high-throughput screening HPK1 kinase inhibitor hits on JAK1 kinase. The off-target effect is usually due to the lack of specificity of the drug, resulting in toxic side effects. Therefore, exploring the mechanisms to selectively inhibit HPK1 is critical for developing effective and safe inhibitors. In this study, two indazole compounds as HPK1 inhibitors with different selectivity towards JAK1 were used to investigate the selectivity mechanism using multiple computational methods, including conventional molecular dynamics simulations, binding free energy calculations and umbrella sampling simulations. The results indicate that the salt bridge between the inhibitor and residue Asp101 of HPK1 favors their selectivity towards HPK1 over JAK1. Information obtained from this study can be used to discover and design more potent and selective HPK1 inhibitors for immunotherapy.
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29
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Ye Q, Liu K, Ye HF, Pan J, Sokolsky A, Wang A, Zhang K, Hummel JR, Kong L, Behshad E, He X, Conlen P, Stump K, Ye M, Diamond S, Covington M, Yeleswaram S, Atasoylu O, Vechorkin O, Yao W. Discovery of Pyrazolopyridine Derivatives as HPK1 Inhibitors. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:5-10. [PMID: 36655125 PMCID: PMC9841581 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.2c00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In spite of the great success of immune checkpoint inhibitors in immune-oncology therapy, an urgent need still exists to identify alternative approaches to broaden the scope of therapeutic coverage. Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), also known as MAP4K1, functions as a negative regulator of activation signals generated by the T cell antigen receptor. Herein we report the discovery of novel pyrazolopyridine derivatives as selective inhibitors of HPK1. The structure-activity relationship campaign led to the discovery of compound 16, which has shown promising enzymatic and cellular potency with encouraging kinome selectivity. The outstanding pharmacokinetic profiles of 16 in rats and monkeys supported further evaluations of its efficacy and safety in preclinical models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinda Ye
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Kai Liu
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Hai-Fen Ye
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Jun Pan
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Alexander Sokolsky
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Anlai Wang
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Ke Zhang
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Joshua R. Hummel
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Ling Kong
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Elham Behshad
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Xin He
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Patricia Conlen
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Kristine Stump
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Min Ye
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Sharon Diamond
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Maryanne Covington
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Swamy Yeleswaram
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Onur Atasoylu
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Oleg Vechorkin
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
| | - Wenqing Yao
- Incyte Research Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
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30
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Sokolsky A, Vechorkin O, Hummel JR, Styduhar ED, Wang A, Nguyen MH, Ye HF, Liu K, Zhang K, Pan J, Ye Q, Atasoylu O, Behshad E, He X, Conlen P, Stump K, Ye M, Diamond S, Covington M, Yeleswaram S, Yao W. Potent and Selective Biaryl Amide Inhibitors of Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 (HPK1). ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:116-122. [PMID: 36655134 PMCID: PMC9841582 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.2c00241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein we report the discovery of a novel biaryl amide series as selective inhibitors of hematopoietic protein kinase 1 (HPK1). Structure-activity relationship development, aided by molecular modeling, identified indazole 5b as a core for further exploration because of its outstanding enzymatic and cellular potency coupled with encouraging kinome selectivity. Late-stage manipulation of the right-hand aryl and amine moieties surmounted issues of selectivity over TRKA, MAP4K2, and STK4 as well as generating compounds with balanced in vitro ADME profiles and promising pharmacokinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Sokolsky
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Oleg Vechorkin
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Joshua R. Hummel
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Evan D. Styduhar
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Anlai Wang
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Minh H. Nguyen
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Hai Fen Ye
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Kai Liu
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Ke Zhang
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Jun Pan
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Qinda Ye
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Onur Atasoylu
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Elham Behshad
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Xin He
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Patricia Conlen
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Kristine Stump
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Min Ye
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Sharon Diamond
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Maryanne Covington
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Swamy Yeleswaram
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
| | - Wenqing Yao
- Incyte Research
Institute, 1801 Augustine Cut-Off, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United
States
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31
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Wang MS, Wang ZZ, Li ZL, Gong Y, Duan CX, Cheng QH, Huang W, Yang GF. Discovery of Macrocycle-Based HPK1 Inhibitors for T-Cell-Based Immunotherapy. J Med Chem 2023; 66:611-626. [PMID: 36542759 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is a negative regulator of T-cell activation, and targeting HPK1 is considered a promising strategy for improving responses to antitumor immune therapies. The biggest challenge of HPK1 inhibitor design is to achieve a higher selectivity to GLK, an HPK1 homology protein as a positive regulator of T-cell activation. Herein, we report the design of a series of macrocycle-based HPK1 inhibitors via a conformational constraint strategy. The identified candidate compound 5i exhibited HPK1 inhibition with an IC50 value of 0.8 nM and 101.3-fold selectivity against GLK. Compound 5i also displayed good oral bioavailability (F = 27-49%) in mice and beagles and favorable metabolic stability (T1/2 > 186.4 min) in human liver microsomes. More importantly, compound 5i demonstrated a clear synergistic effect with anti-PD-1 in both MC38 (MSI) and CT26 (MSS) syngeneic tumor mouse models. These results showed that compound 5i has a great potential in immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Shu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. of China
| | - Zhi-Zheng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. of China
| | - Zi-Long Li
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. of China
| | - Yi Gong
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. of China
| | - Cheng-Xiang Duan
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. of China
| | - Qian-Hui Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. of China
| | - Wei Huang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. of China
| | - Guang-Fu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. of China
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32
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de Lima SCG, Fantacini DMC, Furtado IP, Rossetti R, Silveira RM, Covas DT, de Souza LEB. Genome Editing for Engineering the Next Generation of Advanced Immune Cell Therapies. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1429:85-110. [PMID: 37486518 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-33325-5_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Our current genetic engineering capacity through synthetic biology and genome editing is the foundation of a revolution in biomedical science: the use of genetically programmed cells as therapeutics. The prime example of this paradigm is the adoptive transfer of genetically engineered T cells to express tumor-specific receptors, such as chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) or engineered T-cell receptors (TCR). This approach has led to unprecedented complete remission rates in patients with otherwise incurable hematological malignancies. However, this approach is still largely ineffective against solid tumors, which comprise the vast majority of neoplasms. Also, limitations associated with the autologous nature of this therapy and shared markers between cancer cells and T cells further restrict the access to these therapies. Here, we described how cutting-edge genome editing approaches have been applied to unlock the full potential of these revolutionary therapies, thereby increasing therapeutic efficacy and patient accessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Caroline Gomes de Lima
- Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto - Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Izadora Peter Furtado
- Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto - Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Rafaela Rossetti
- Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto - Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Roberta Maraninchi Silveira
- Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto - Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Dimas Tadeu Covas
- Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto - Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Lucas Eduardo Botelho de Souza
- Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto - Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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33
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Zhou L, Wang T, Zhang K, Zhang X, Jiang S. The development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting HPK1. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 244:114819. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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34
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Offringa R, Kötzner L, Huck B, Urbahns K. The expanding role for small molecules in immuno-oncology. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2022; 21:821-840. [PMID: 35982333 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-022-00538-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rienk Offringa
- Department of Molecular Oncology of Gastrointestinal Tumors, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany. .,DKFZ-Bayer Immunotherapeutics Laboratory, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany. .,Department of Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Lisa Kötzner
- Merck Healthcare KGaA, Healthcare R&D, Discovery and Development Technologies, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Bayard Huck
- EMD Serono, Healthcare R&D, Discovery and Development Technologies, Billerica, MA, USA
| | - Klaus Urbahns
- EMD Serono, Healthcare R&D, Discovery and Development Technologies, Billerica, MA, USA.
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35
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Zhu Q, Chen N, Tian X, Zhou Y, You Q, Xu X. Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 in Tumor Immunology: A Medicinal Chemistry Perspective. J Med Chem 2022; 65:8065-8090. [PMID: 35696642 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a hematopoietic cell-restricted member of the serine/threonine Ste20-related protein kinases, is a negative regulator of the T cell receptor, B cell receptor, and dendritic cells. Loss of HPK1 kinase function increases cytokine secretion and enhances T cell signaling, virus clearance, and tumor growth inhibition. Therefore, HPK1 is considered a promising target for tumor immunotherapy. Several HPK1 inhibitors have been reported to regulate T cell function. In addition, HPK1-targeting PROTACs, which can induce the degradation of HPK1, have also been developed. Here, we provide an overview of research concerning HPK1 protein structure, function, and inhibitors and propose perspectives and insights for the future development of agents targeting HPK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiangsheng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Nannan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xinjian Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yeling Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - QiDong You
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiaoli Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
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36
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Guo R, Li W, Li Y, Li Y, Jiang Z, Song Y. Generation and clinical potential of functional T lymphocytes from gene-edited pluripotent stem cells. Exp Hematol Oncol 2022; 11:27. [PMID: 35568954 PMCID: PMC9107657 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-022-00285-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineered T cells have been shown to be highly effective in cancer immunotherapy, although T cell exhaustion presents a challenge for their long-term function. Additional T-cell sources must be exploited to broaden the application of engineered T cells for immune defense and reconstitution. Unlimited sources of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have provided a potential opportunity to generate precise-engineered therapeutic induced T (iT) cells. Single-cell transcriptome analysis of PSC-derived induced hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (iHSPC)/iT identified the developmental pathways and possibilities of generating functional T cell from PSCs. To date, the PSC-to-iT platforms encounter several problems, including low efficiency of conventional T subset specification, limited functional potential, and restrictions on large-scale application, because of the absence of a thymus-like organized microenvironment. The updated PSC-to-iT platforms, such as the three-dimensional (3D) artificial thymic organoid (ATO) co-culture system and Runx1/Hoxa9-enforced iT lymphopoiesis, provide fresh perspectives for coordinating culture conditions and transcription factors, which may greatly improve the efficiency of T-cell generation greatly. In addition, the improved PSC-to-iT platform coordinating gene editing technologies will provide various functional engineered unconventional or conventional T cells. Furthermore, the clinical applications of PSC-derived immune cells are accelerating from bench to bedside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongqun Guo
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Yadan Li
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.,Academy of Medical Science, Henan Medical College of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Yingmei Li
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Zhongxing Jiang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
| | - Yongping Song
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
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37
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Malchow S, Korepanova A, Panchal SC, McClure RA, Longenecker KL, Qiu W, Zhao H, Cheng M, Guo J, Klinge KL, Trusk P, Pratt SD, Li T, Kurnick MD, Duan L, Shoemaker AR, Gopalakrishnan SM, Warder SE, Shotwell JB, Lai A, Sun C, Osuma AT, Pappano WN. The HPK1 Inhibitor A-745 Verifies the Potential of Modulating T Cell Kinase Signaling for Immunotherapy. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:556-566. [PMID: 35188729 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is an MAP4K family member within the Ste20-like serine/threonine branch of the kinome. HPK1 expression is limited to hematopoietic cells and has a predominant role as a negative regulator of T cell function. Because of the central/dominant role in negatively regulating T cell function, HPK1 has long been in the center of interest as a potential pharmacological target for immune therapy. The development of a small molecule HPK1 inhibitor remains challenging because of the need for high specificity relative to other kinases, including additional MAP4K family members, that are required for efficient immune cell activation. Here, we report the identification of the selective and potent HPK1 chemical probe, A-745. In unbiased cellular kinase-binding assays, A-745 demonstrates an excellent cellular selectivity binding profile within pharmacologically relevant concentrations. This HPK1 selectivity translates to an in vitro immune cell activation phenotype reminiscent of Hpk1-deficient and Hpk1-kinase-dead T cells, including augmented proliferation and cytokine production. The results from this work give a path forward for further developmental efforts to generate additional selective and potent small molecule HPK1 inhibitors with the pharmacological properties for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Malchow
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Alla Korepanova
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Sanjay C. Panchal
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Ryan A. McClure
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | | | - Wei Qiu
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Min Cheng
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Jun Guo
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Kelly L. Klinge
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Patricia Trusk
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Steven D. Pratt
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Tao Li
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Matthew D. Kurnick
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Lishu Duan
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Alex R. Shoemaker
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | | | - Scott E. Warder
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - J. Brad Shotwell
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Albert Lai
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Chaohong Sun
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Augustine T. Osuma
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - William N. Pappano
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
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38
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Ge H, Peng L, Sun Z, Liu H, Shen Y, Yao X. Discovery of Novel HPK1 Inhibitors Through Structure-Based Virtual Screening. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:850855. [PMID: 35370676 PMCID: PMC8967249 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.850855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase (HPK1) is a negative regulator of T-cell receptor and B-cell signaling, which has been recognized as a novel antitumor target for immunotherapy. In this work, Glide docking-based virtual screening and kinase inhibition assay were performed to identify novel HPK1 inhibitors. The kinase inhibition assay results demonstrated five compounds with IC50 values below 20 μM, and the most potent one (compound M074-2865) had an IC50 value of 2.93 ± 0.09 μM. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to delve into the interaction of sunitinib and the identified compound M074-2865 with the kinase domain of HPK1. The five compounds identified in this work could be considered promising hit compounds for further development of HPK1 inhibitors for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huizhen Ge
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Lizeng Peng
- Institute of Agro-Food Science and Technology Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Processing Technology of Shandong Province, Key Laboratory of Novel Food Resources Processing Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
| | - Zhou Sun
- Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, China
| | - Huanxiang Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | | | - Xiaojun Yao
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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39
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Freeman SS, Sade-Feldman M, Kim J, Stewart C, Gonye AL, Ravi A, Arniella MB, Gushterova I, LaSalle TJ, Blaum EM, Yizhak K, Frederick DT, Sharova T, Leshchiner I, Elagina L, Spiro OG, Livitz D, Rosebrock D, Aguet F, Carrot-Zhang J, Ha G, Lin Z, Chen JH, Barzily-Rokni M, Hammond MR, Vitzthum von Eckstaedt HC, Blackmon SM, Jiao YJ, Gabriel S, Lawrence DP, Duncan LM, Stemmer-Rachamimov AO, Wargo JA, Flaherty KT, Sullivan RJ, Boland GM, Meyerson M, Getz G, Hacohen N. Combined tumor and immune signals from genomes or transcriptomes predict outcomes of checkpoint inhibition in melanoma. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100500. [PMID: 35243413 PMCID: PMC8861826 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2021.100500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade (CPB) improves melanoma outcomes, but many patients still do not respond. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) and tumor-infiltrating T cells are associated with response, and integrative models improve survival prediction. However, integrating immune/tumor-intrinsic features using data from a single assay (DNA/RNA) remains underexplored. Here, we analyze whole-exome and bulk RNA sequencing of tumors from new and published cohorts of 189 and 178 patients with melanoma receiving CPB, respectively. Using DNA, we calculate T cell and B cell burdens (TCB/BCB) from rearranged TCR/Ig sequences and find that patients with TMBhigh and TCBhigh or BCBhigh have improved outcomes compared to other patients. By combining pairs of immune- and tumor-expressed genes, we identify three gene pairs associated with response and survival, which validate in independent cohorts. The top model includes lymphocyte-expressed MAP4K1 and tumor-expressed TBX3. Overall, RNA or DNA-based models combining immune and tumor measures improve predictions of melanoma CPB outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S. Freeman
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Moshe Sade-Feldman
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jaegil Kim
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Chip Stewart
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Anna L.K. Gonye
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Arvind Ravi
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | - Irena Gushterova
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Thomas J. LaSalle
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Emily M. Blaum
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Keren Yizhak
- Department of Cell Biology and Cancer Science, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 2611001, Israel
| | - Dennie T. Frederick
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Tatyana Sharova
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Ignaty Leshchiner
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Oliver G. Spiro
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Dimitri Livitz
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - François Aguet
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jian Carrot-Zhang
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Gavin Ha
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle 98109, WA, USA
| | - Ziao Lin
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Harvard University, Cambridge MA, 02138
| | - Jonathan H. Chen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, MA, USA
| | - Michal Barzily-Rokni
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Marc R. Hammond
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Shauna M. Blackmon
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Yunxin J. Jiao
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stacey Gabriel
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Donald P. Lawrence
- Department of Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Lyn M. Duncan
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, MA, USA
| | | | - Jennifer A. Wargo
- Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Keith T. Flaherty
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Ryan J. Sullivan
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Genevieve M. Boland
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02115, MA, USA
| | - Matthew Meyerson
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, MA, USA
| | - Gad Getz
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard University, Cambridge MA, 02138
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, MA, USA
| | - Nir Hacohen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, MA, USA
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40
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Bader A, Winkelmann M, Forné I, Walzog B, Maier-Begandt D. Decoding the signaling profile of hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) in innate immunity: a proteomic approach. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:760-769. [PMID: 35099066 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Signaling via β2 integrins (CD11/CD18) as well as T and B cell receptors involves similar pathways. However, the activation of the same signaling molecule can result in opposing effects. One such example is the hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), which negatively regulates T and B cell activation but enforces neutrophil adhesion via β2 integrins. This difference may be defined by specific HPK1 interacting networks in different leukocyte subsets which have already been described in the adaptive immune system. Here, we set out to identify interacting proteins of HPK1 in neutrophil-like differentiated HL-60 cells exposed to immobilized fibrinogen and left non-activated or Mn2+ -activated to allow β2 integrin-dependent adhesion. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments followed by mass spectrometry led to the identification of 115 HPK1-interacting proteins. 58 proteins were found only in non-activated cells and 39 proteins only in Mn2+ -activated adherent cells. From these results we decoded a pre-existing signaling cluster of HPK1 in non-activated cells encompassing proteins essential for β2 integrin-mediated signaling during neutrophil trafficking, namely DNAX-activation protein 12 (DAP12), spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and Rac1. Thus, our study provides novel insights into the complex architecture of the signaling processes during neutrophil activation and the complex signaling profile of HPK1 in leukocytes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Almke Bader
- Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology, Biomedical Center, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany.,Walter Brendel Center of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - Michael Winkelmann
- Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology, Biomedical Center, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany.,Walter Brendel Center of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany.,Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - Ignasi Forné
- Protein Analysis Unit, Biomedical Center, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Barbara Walzog
- Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology, Biomedical Center, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany.,Walter Brendel Center of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - Daniela Maier-Begandt
- Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology, Biomedical Center, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany.,Walter Brendel Center of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
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41
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Chan BK, Seward E, Lainchbury M, Brewer TF, An L, Blench T, Cartwright MW, Chan GKY, Choo EF, Drummond J, Elliott RL, Gancia E, Gazzard L, Hu B, Jones GE, Luo X, Madin A, Malhotra S, Moffat JG, Pang J, Salphati L, Sneeringer CJ, Stivala CE, Wei B, Wang W, Wu P, Heffron TP. Discovery of Spiro-azaindoline Inhibitors of Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 (HPK1). ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 13:84-91. [PMID: 35059127 PMCID: PMC8762754 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is implicated as a negative regulator of T-cell receptor-induced T-cell activation. Studies using HPK1 kinase-dead knock-in animals have demonstrated the loss of HPK1 kinase activity resulted in an increase in T-cell function and tumor growth inhibition in glioma models. Herein, we describe the discovery of a series of small molecule inhibitors of HPK1. Using a structure-based drug design approach, the kinase selectivity of the molecules was significantly improved by inducing and stabilizing an unusual P-loop folded binding mode. The metabolic liabilities of the initial 7-azaindole high-throughput screening hit were mitigated by addressing a key metabolic soft spot along with physicochemical property-based optimization. The resulting spiro-azaindoline HPK1 inhibitors demonstrated improved in vitro ADME properties and the ability to induce cytokine production in primary human T-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan K. Chan
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States,
| | - Eileen Seward
- Charles
River Laboratories, 8-9
Spire Green, Flex Meadow, Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Lainchbury
- Charles
River Laboratories, 8-9
Spire Green, Flex Meadow, Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas F. Brewer
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Le An
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Toby Blench
- Charles
River Laboratories, 8-9
Spire Green, Flex Meadow, Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew W. Cartwright
- Charles
River Laboratories, 8-9
Spire Green, Flex Meadow, Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR, United Kingdom
| | - Grace Ka Yan Chan
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Edna F. Choo
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Jason Drummond
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Richard L. Elliott
- Charles
River Laboratories, 8-9
Spire Green, Flex Meadow, Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR, United Kingdom
| | - Emanuela Gancia
- Charles
River Laboratories, 8-9
Spire Green, Flex Meadow, Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR, United Kingdom
| | - Lewis Gazzard
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Baihua Hu
- Pharmaron
Beijing Co, No. 6 Tai He Road, BDA, Beijing 100176, P.R. China
| | - Graham E. Jones
- Charles
River Laboratories, 8-9
Spire Green, Flex Meadow, Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR, United Kingdom
| | - Xifeng Luo
- Pharmaron
Beijing Co, No. 6 Tai He Road, BDA, Beijing 100176, P.R. China
| | - Andrew Madin
- Charles
River Laboratories, 8-9
Spire Green, Flex Meadow, Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR, United Kingdom
| | - Sushant Malhotra
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - John G. Moffat
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Jodie Pang
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Laurent Salphati
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | | | - Craig E. Stivala
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Binqing Wei
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Weiru Wang
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Ping Wu
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Timothy P. Heffron
- Genentech
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
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42
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Moses AK, Ghazi T, Naidoo DB, Chuturgoon A. DNA methylation of MEKKK1: a strategy to reactivate the NF-κB pathway and reverse HIV latency. AIDS 2021; 35:2221-2224. [PMID: 34602592 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Avril Kirsten Moses
- Discipline of Medical Biochemistry, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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43
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Wang W, Mevellec L, Liu A, Struble G, Miller R, Allen SJ, Federowicz K, Wroblowski B, Vialard J, Ahn K, Krosky D. Discovery of an Allosteric, Inactive Conformation-Selective Inhibitor of Full-Length HPK1 Utilizing a Kinase Cascade Assay. Biochemistry 2021; 60:3114-3124. [PMID: 34608799 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Achieving selectivity across the human kinome is a major hurdle in kinase inhibitor drug discovery. Assays using active, phosphorylated protein kinases bias hits toward poorly selective inhibitors that bind within the highly conserved adenosine triphosphate (ATP) pocket. Targeting inactive (vs active) kinase conformations offers advantages in achieving selectivity because of their more diversified structures. Kinase cascade assays are typically initiated with target kinases in their unphosphorylated inactive forms, which are activated during the assays. Therefore, these assays are capable of identifying inhibitors that preferentially bind to the unphosphorylated form of the enzyme in addition to those that bind to the active form. We applied this cascade assay to the emerging cancer immunotherapy target hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a serine/threonine kinase that negatively regulates T cell receptor signaling. Using this approach, we discovered an allosteric, inactive conformation-selective triazolopyrimidinone HPK1 inhibitor, compound 1. Compound 1 binds to unphosphorylated HPK1 >24-fold more potently than active HPK1, is not competitive with ATP, and is highly selective against kinases critical for T cell signaling. Furthermore, compound 1 does not bind to the isolated HPK1 kinase domain alone but requires other domains. Together, these data indicate that 1 is an allosteric HPK1 inhibitor that attenuates kinase autophosphorylation by binding to a pocket consisting of residues within and outside of the kinase domain. Our study demonstrates that cascade assays can lead to the discovery of highly selective kinase inhibitors. The triazolopyrimidinone described in this study may represent a privileged chemical scaffold for further development of potent and selective HPK1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixue Wang
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Laurence Mevellec
- Discovery Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Campus de Maigremont, Val de Reuil 27106, France
| | - Annie Liu
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Geoff Struble
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Robyn Miller
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Samantha J Allen
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Kelly Federowicz
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Berthold Wroblowski
- Computational Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Jorge Vialard
- Oncology Discovery Biology, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Kay Ahn
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Daniel Krosky
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
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44
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Dale B, Cheng M, Park KS, Kaniskan HÜ, Xiong Y, Jin J. Advancing targeted protein degradation for cancer therapy. Nat Rev Cancer 2021; 21:638-654. [PMID: 34131295 PMCID: PMC8463487 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-021-00365-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 271] [Impact Index Per Article: 90.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The human proteome contains approximately 20,000 proteins, and it is estimated that more than 600 of them are functionally important for various types of cancers, including nearly 400 non-enzyme proteins that are challenging to target by traditional occupancy-driven pharmacology. Recent advances in the development of small-molecule degraders, including molecular glues and heterobifunctional degraders such as proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), have made it possible to target many proteins that were previously considered undruggable. In particular, PROTACs form a ternary complex with a hijacked E3 ubiquitin ligase and a target protein, leading to polyubiquitination and degradation of the target protein. The broad applicability of this approach is facilitated by the flexibility of individual E3 ligases to recognize different substrates. The vast majority of the approximately 600 human E3 ligases have not been explored, thus presenting enormous opportunities to develop degraders that target oncoproteins with tissue, tumour and subcellular selectivity. In this Review, we first discuss the molecular basis of targeted protein degradation. We then offer a comprehensive account of the most promising degraders in development as cancer therapies to date. Lastly, we provide an overview of opportunities and challenges in this exciting field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Dale
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meng Cheng
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kwang-Su Park
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - H Ümit Kaniskan
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yue Xiong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Cullgen Inc., San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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45
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Linney ID, Kaila N. Inhibitors of immuno-oncology target HPK1 - a patent review (2016 to 2020). Expert Opin Ther Pat 2021; 31:893-910. [PMID: 33956554 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2021.1924671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Hematopoietic progenitor kinase (HPK1), a serine/threonine kinase, which is primarily expressed in hematopoietic cells is a negative regulator of T-cell receptor and B cell signaling. Studies using genetic disruption of HPK1 function show enhanced T-cell signaling, cytokine production, and in vivo tumor growth inhibition. This profile of enhanced immune response highlights small molecule inhibition of HPK1 as an attractive approach for the immunotherapy of cancer.Areas covered: This article summarizes the biological rationale for the inhibition of HPK1 as a potential adjunct to the current immuno-oncology (IO) therapies. The article primarily discloses the current state of development of HPK1 inhibitors.Expert Opinion: The rapid increase in the identification of small molecule inhibitors of HPK1 should translate into a fuller understanding of the role of HPK1 inhibition in the IO setting. This understanding will be of huge importance in determining whether HPK1 inhibition alone will be sufficient for tumor growth inhibition or if combination with current IO therapies will be required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian D Linney
- Medicinal Chemistry, Charles River, Chesterford Park Research Park, Saffron Walden, United Kingdom
| | - Neelu Kaila
- Medicinal Chemistry, Nimbus Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA
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46
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Vara BA, Levi SM, Achab A, Candito DA, Fradera X, Lesburg CA, Kawamura S, Lacey BM, Lim J, Methot JL, Xu Z, Xu H, Smith DM, Piesvaux JA, Miller JR, Bittinger M, Ranganath SH, Bennett DJ, DiMauro EF, Pasternak A. Discovery of Diaminopyrimidine Carboxamide HPK1 Inhibitors as Preclinical Immunotherapy Tool Compounds. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:653-661. [PMID: 33859804 PMCID: PMC8040257 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a serine/threonine kinase, is a negative immune regulator of T cell receptor (TCR) and B cell signaling that is primarily expressed in hematopoietic cells. Accordingly, it has been reported that HPK1 loss-of-function in HPK1 kinase-dead syngeneic mouse models shows enhanced T cell signaling and cytokine production as well as tumor growth inhibition in vivo, supporting its value as an immunotherapeutic target. Herein, we present the structurally enabled discovery of novel, potent, and selective diaminopyrimidine carboxamide HPK1 inhibitors. The key discovery of a carboxamide moiety was essential for enhanced enzyme inhibitory potency and kinome selectivity as well as sustained elevation of cellular IL-2 production across a titration range in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The elucidation of structure-activity relationships using various pendant amino ring systems allowed for the identification of several small molecule type-I inhibitors with promising in vitro profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon A. Vara
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Samuel M. Levi
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Abdelghani Achab
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - David A. Candito
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Xavier Fradera
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Charles A. Lesburg
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Shuhei Kawamura
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Brian M. Lacey
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jongwon Lim
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Joey L. Methot
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Zangwei Xu
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Haiyan Xu
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Dustin M. Smith
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jennifer A. Piesvaux
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - J. Richard Miller
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Mark Bittinger
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Sheila H. Ranganath
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - David J. Bennett
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Erin F. DiMauro
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Alexander Pasternak
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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47
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Degnan AP, Kumi GK, Allard CW, Araujo EV, Johnson WL, Zimmermann K, Pearce BC, Sheriff S, Futran A, Li X, Locke GA, You D, Morrison J, Parrish KE, Stromko C, Murtaza A, Liu J, Johnson BM, Vite GD, Wittman MD. Discovery of Orally Active Isofuranones as Potent, Selective Inhibitors of Hematopoetic Progenitor Kinase 1. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:443-450. [PMID: 33732413 PMCID: PMC7957935 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
While the discovery of immune checkpoint
inhibitors has led to
robust, durable responses in a range of cancers, many patients do
not respond to currently available therapeutics. Therefore, an urgent
need exists to identify alternative mechanisms to augment the immune-mediated
clearance of tumors. Hematopoetic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is a
serine-threonine kinase that acts as a negative regulator of T-cell
receptor (TCR) signaling, to dampen the immune response. Herein we
describe the structure-based discovery of isofuranones as inhibitors
of HPK1. Optimization of the chemotype led to improvements in potency,
selectivity, plasma protein binding, and metabolic stability, culminating
in the identification of compound 24. Oral administration
of 24, in combination with an anti-PD1 antibody, demonstrated
robust enhancement of anti-PD1 efficacy in a syngeneic tumor model
of colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Degnan
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Godwin K. Kumi
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Christopher W. Allard
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Erika V. Araujo
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Walter L. Johnson
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Redwood City, California 94063, United States
| | - Kurt Zimmermann
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Bradley C. Pearce
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Steven Sheriff
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Alan Futran
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Xin Li
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Gregory A. Locke
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Dan You
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - John Morrison
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Karen E. Parrish
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Caitlyn Stromko
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Anwar Murtaza
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Jinqi Liu
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Benjamin M. Johnson
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Gregory D. Vite
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Mark D. Wittman
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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48
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Yu EC, Methot JL, Fradera X, Lesburg CA, Lacey BM, Siliphaivanh P, Liu P, Smith DM, Xu Z, Piesvaux JA, Kawamura S, Xu H, Miller JR, Bittinger M, Pasternak A. Identification of Potent Reverse Indazole Inhibitors for HPK1. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:459-466. [PMID: 33738073 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase (HPK1), a negative regulator of TCR-mediated T-cell activation, has been recognized as a novel antitumor immunotherapy target. Structural optimization of kinase inhibitor 4 through a systematic two-dimensional diversity screen of pyrazolopyridines led to the identification of potent and selective compounds. Crystallographic studies with HPK1 revealed a favorable water-mediated interaction with Asp155 and a salt bridge to Asp101 with optimized heterocyclic solvent fronts that were critical for enhanced potency and selectivity. Computational studies of model systems revealed differences in torsional profiles that allowed for these beneficial protein-ligand interactions. Further optimization of molecular properties led to identification of potent and selective reverse indazole inhibitor 36 that inhibited phosphorylation of adaptor protein SLP76 in human PBMC and exhibited low clearance with notable bioavailability in in vivo rat studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsie C. Yu
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Joey L. Methot
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Xavier Fradera
- Computational and Structural Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Charles A. Lesburg
- Computational and Structural Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Brian M. Lacey
- Quantitative Biosciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Phieng Siliphaivanh
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Ping Liu
- External Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, 07065, United States
| | - Dustin M. Smith
- Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Zangwei Xu
- Quantitative Biosciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Jennifer A. Piesvaux
- Quantitative Biosciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Shuhei Kawamura
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Haiyan Xu
- Quantitative Biosciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - J. Richard Miller
- Quantitative Biosciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Mark Bittinger
- Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
| | - Alexander Pasternak
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
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49
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Koulouris A, Tsagkaris C, Nikolaou M. Real Impact of Novel Immunotherapy Drugs in Cancer. The Experience of 10 Last Years. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:149. [PMID: 33672017 PMCID: PMC7919369 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13020149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Intense research on immunotherapy has been conducted during recent years. As advances in the field have started changing the landscape of cancer therapy, it is necessary to assess the impact of immunotherapeutic modalities in the treatment of various cancers. Ten years ago, in 2011, ipilimumab was the first of the newest immunotherapeutic drugs against cancer to be approved by the FDA. Then several drugs followed and formed a therapeutic arsenal to fight cancer. Initial studies were performed on metastatic patients, but there are currently several studies in patients with potentially curable cancers. All these developments have created a new environment for oncology which we will present in this article. This review examines the current evidence related to the impact of immunotherapy on various cancers and discusses its potential clinical and research implications, including its effectiveness in comparison to other treatment modalities (chemotherapy, radiotherapy), its toxicity and prospective research opportunities. While constant updates and further research is critical to understand the impact of immunotherapy in cancer therapy, not only does it seem to be important to assess the current state of knowledge highlighting the success but also to determine the challenging aspects of cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Koulouris
- Department of Medical Oncology University General Hospital of Heraklion, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece;
| | | | - Michail Nikolaou
- 1st Oncology Department, “Saint Savas” Anticancer—Oncology Hospital, 11522 Athens, Greece
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50
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You D, Hillerman S, Locke G, Chaudhry C, Stromko C, Murtaza A, Fan Y, Koenitzer J, Chen Y, Briceno S, Bhadra R, Duperret E, Gullo-Brown J, Gao C, Zhao D, Feder J, Curtin J, Degnan AP, Kumi G, Wittman M, Johnson BM, Parrish KE, Gokulrangan G, Morrison J, Quigley M, Hunt JT, Salter-Cid L, Lees E, Sanjuan MA, Liu J. Enhanced antitumor immunity by a novel small molecule HPK1 inhibitor. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-001402. [PMID: 33408094 PMCID: PMC7789447 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1 or MAP4K1) has been demonstrated as a negative intracellular immune checkpoint in mediating antitumor immunity in studies with HPK1 knockout and kinase dead mice. Pharmacological inhibition of HPK1 is desirable to investigate the role of HPK1 in human immune cells with therapeutic implications. However, a significant challenge remains to identify a small molecule inhibitor of HPK1 with sufficient potency, selectivity, and other drug-like properties suitable for proof-of-concept studies. In this report, we identified a novel, potent, and selective HPK1 small molecule kinase inhibitor, compound K (CompK). A series of studies were conducted to investigate the mechanism of action of CompK, aiming to understand its potential application in cancer immunotherapy. Methods Human primary T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) were investigated with CompK treatment under conditions relevant to tumor microenvironment (TME). Syngeneic tumor models were used to assess the in vivo pharmacology of CompK followed by human tumor interrogation ex vivo. Results CompK treatment demonstrated markedly enhanced human T-cell immune responses under immunosuppressive conditions relevant to the TME and an increased avidity of the T-cell receptor (TCR) to recognize viral and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) in significant synergy with anti-PD1. Animal model studies, including 1956 sarcoma and MC38 syngeneic models, revealed improved immune responses and superb antitumor efficacy in combination of CompK with anti-PD-1. An elevated immune response induced by CompK was observed with fresh tumor samples from multiple patients with colorectal carcinoma, suggesting a mechanistic translation from mouse model to human disease. Conclusion CompK treatment significantly improved human T-cell functions, with enhanced TCR avidity to recognize TAAs and tumor cytolytic activity by CD8+ T cells. Additional benefits include DC maturation and priming facilitation in tumor draining lymph node. CompK represents a novel pharmacological agent to address cancer treatment resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan You
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Stephen Hillerman
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Gregory Locke
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Charu Chaudhry
- Oncology Discovery, Johnson and Johnson Limited, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Caitlyn Stromko
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Anwar Murtaza
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Yi Fan
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | | | - Yali Chen
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Stephanie Briceno
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | | | | | | | - Chan Gao
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Dandan Zhao
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - John Feder
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Joshua Curtin
- Oncology Discovery, Johnson and Johnson Limited, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrew P Degnan
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Godwin Kumi
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Mark Wittman
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Benjamin M Johnson
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Karen E Parrish
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | | | - John Morrison
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Michael Quigley
- Oncology Discovery, Gilead Sciences Inc, Foster City, California, USA
| | - John T Hunt
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | | | - Emma Lees
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Miguel A Sanjuan
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jinqi Liu
- Oncology Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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