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Awoonor-Williams E, Abu-Saleh AAAA. Molecular Insights into the Impact of Mutations on the Binding Affinity of Targeted Covalent Inhibitors of BTK. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:2874-2884. [PMID: 38502552 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00310] [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: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs) have witnessed a significant resurgence in recent years, particularly in the kinase drug discovery field for treating diverse clinical indications. The inhibition of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) for treating B-cell cancers is a classic example where TCIs such as ibrutinib have had breakthroughs in targeted therapy. However, selectivity remains challenging, and the emergence of resistance mutations is a critical concern for clinical efficacy. Computational methods that can accurately predict the impact of mutations on inhibitor binding affinity could prove helpful in informing targeted approaches─providing insights into drug resistance mechanisms. In addition, such systems could help guide the systematic evaluation and impact of mutations in disease models for optimal experimental design. Here, we have employed in silico physics-based methods to understand the effects of mutations on the binding affinity and conformational dynamics of select TCIs of BTK. The TCIs studied include ibrutinib, acalabrutinib, and zanubrutinib─all of which are FDA-approved drugs for treating multiple forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Our results offer useful molecular insights into the structural determinants, thermodynamics, and conformational energies that impact ligand binding for this biological target of clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest Awoonor-Williams
- Department of Chemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1B 3X7, Canada
| | - Abd Al-Aziz A Abu-Saleh
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
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Al-Sawaf O, Ligtvoet R, Robrecht S, Stumpf J, Fink AM, Tausch E, Schneider C, Boettcher S, Mikusko M, Ritgen M, Schetelig J, von Tresckow J, Vehling-Kaiser U, Gaska T, Wendtner CM, Chapuy B, Fischer K, Kreuzer KA, Stilgenbauer S, Staber P, Niemann C, Hallek M, Eichhorst B. Tislelizumab plus zanubrutinib for Richter transformation: the phase 2 RT1 trial. Nat Med 2024; 30:240-248. [PMID: 38071379 PMCID: PMC10803258 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02722-9] [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: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Richter transformation (RT) reflects the development of an aggressive lymphoma that is associated with poor response to chemotherapy and short survival. We initiated an international, investigator-initiated, prospective, open-label phase 2 study in which patients with RT received a combination of the PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab plus the BTK inhibitor zanubrutinib for 12 cycles. Patients responding to treatment underwent maintenance treatment with both agents. The primary end point was overall response rate after six cycles. Of 59 enrolled patients, 48 patients received at least two cycles of treatment and comprised the analysis population according to the study protocol. The median observation time was 13.9 months, the median age was 67 (range 45-82) years. Ten patients (20.8%) had received previous RT-directed therapy. In total, 28 out of 48 patients responded to induction therapy with an overall response rate of 58.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 43.2-72.4), including 9 (18.8%) complete reponse and 19 (39.6%) partial response, meeting the study's primary end point by rejecting the predefined null hypothesis of 40% (P = 0.008). Secondary end points included duration of response, progression-free survival and overall survival. The median duration of response was not reached, the median progression-free survival was 10.0 months (95% CI 3.8-16.3). Median overall survival was not reached with a 12-month overall survival rate of 74.7% (95% CI 58.4-91.0). The most common adverse events were infections (18.0%), gastrointestinal disorders (13.0%) and hematological toxicities (11.4%). These data suggest that combined checkpoint and BTK inhibition by tislelizumab plus zanubrutinib is an effective and well-tolerated treatment strategy for patients with RT. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04271956 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Othman Al-Sawaf
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Francis Crick Institute London, London, UK.
- Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Rudy Ligtvoet
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sandra Robrecht
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Janina Stumpf
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Anna-Maria Fink
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Eugen Tausch
- Department III of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Christof Schneider
- Department III of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sebastian Boettcher
- Department III of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Martin Mikusko
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Ritgen
- Department II of Internal Medicine, Campus Kiel, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Johannes Schetelig
- Department I of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
| | - Julia von Tresckow
- Clinic for Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Tobias Gaska
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Brüderkrankenhaus St. Josef, Paderborn, Germany
| | | | - Bjoern Chapuy
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Cancer Immunology, Charité -University Medical Center Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kirsten Fischer
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Karl-Anton Kreuzer
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Philipp Staber
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Carsten Niemann
- Department of Hematology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Hallek
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Barbara Eichhorst
- Department I of Internal Medicine and German CLL Study Group; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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