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Wu T, Wu X, Xu Y, Chen R, Wang J, Li Z, Bian J. A patent review of selective CDK9 inhibitors in treating cancer. Expert Opin Ther Pat 2023; 33:309-322. [PMID: 37128897 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2023.2208747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The dysregulation of CDK9 protein is greatly related to the proliferation and differentiation of various cancers due to its key role in the regulation of RNA transcription. Moreover, CDK9 inhibition can markedly downregulate the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 which is essential for the survival of tumors. Thus, targeting CDK9 is considered to be a promising strategy for antitumor drug development, and the development of selective CDK9 inhibitors has gained increasing attention. AREAS COVERED This review focuses on the development of selective CDK9 inhibitors reported in patent publications during the period 2020-2022, which were searched from SciFinder and Cortellis Drug Discovery Intelligence. EXPERT OPINION Given that pan-CDK9 inhibitors may lead to serious side effects due to poor selectivity, the investigation of selective CDK9 inhibitors has attracted widespread attention. CDK9 inhibitors make some advance in treating solid tumors and possess the therapeutic potential in EGFR-mutant lung cancer. CDK9 inhibitors with short half-life and intravenous administration might result in transient target engagement and contribute to a better safety profile in vivo. However, more efforts are urgently needed to accelerate the development of CDK9 inhibitors, including the research on new binding modes between ligand and receptor or new protein binding sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tizhi Wu
- 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, China
| | - Xiaowei Wu
- 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, China
| | - Yifan 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, China
| | - Rui 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, China
| | - Jubo Wang
- 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, China
| | - Zhiyu Li
- 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, China
| | - Jinlei Bian
- 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, China
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Park M, Cho JH, Moon B, Kim JH, Kim JA. CDK9 inhibitors downregulate DKK1 expression to suppress the metastatic potential of HCC cells. Genes Genomics 2023; 45:285-293. [PMID: 36662391 DOI: 10.1007/s13258-022-01351-9] [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: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elevated expression of Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is frequently observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with poor clinical outcomes. Several reports indicating the functional involvement of DKK1 in HCC progression have suggested DKK1 as a promising therapeutic target for HCC. OBJECTIVE In this study, to develop an efficient way to target DKK1, we assessed the effect of CDK9 inhibitors on DKK1 expression linked to metastatic movement of HCC. METHODS The expression of DKK1 in CDK9 inhibitor-treated HCC cells was measured by western blot, ELISA and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. Wound healing assay, migration assay, invasion assay and western blot were examined to evaluate the functional role of DKK1 in CDK9 inhibitors-treated HCC. RESULTS Inactivation of CDK9 either by a catalytic inhibitor being clinically evaluated or by a specific CDK9 protein degrader largely downregulated DKK1 expression at the transcript and protein levels. In addition, CDK9 inhibitors suppressed the migration and invasion of HCC cells. We observed that ectopic high expression of DKK1 at least partially reversed the defects in metastatic movement of HCC cells mediated by CDK9 inhibitors. We further discovered that the DKK1-nuclear β-catenin axis associated with the metastatic potential of HCC cells was impaired by CDK9 inhibitors. CONCLUSION Taken together, our findings suggest that CDK9 inhibitors are potent tools to target DKK1, which can suppress the metastatic progression of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mijin Park
- Aging Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.,Department of Bioscience, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Hwa Cho
- Disease Target Structure Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Byul Moon
- Aging Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.,Department of Bioscience, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Hoon Kim
- Department of Bioscience, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea. .,Disease Target Structure Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea. .,Graduate School of New Drug Discovery and Development, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jung-Ae Kim
- Aging Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Bioscience, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea. .,Disease Target Structure Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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Targeting cyclin-dependent kinase 9 in cancer therapy. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2022; 43:1633-1645. [PMID: 34811514 PMCID: PMC9253122 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-021-00796-0] [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: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 9 associates mainly with cyclin T1 and forms the positive transcription elongation factor b (p-TEFb) complex responsible for transcriptional regulation. It has been shown that CDK9 modulates the expression and activity of oncogenes, such as MYC and murine double minute 4 (MDM4), and it also plays an important role in development and/or maintenance of the malignant cell phenotype. Malfunction of CDK9 is frequently observed in numerous cancers. Recent studies have highlighted the function of CDK9 through a variety of mechanisms in cancers, including the formation of new complexes and epigenetic alterations. Due to the importance of CDK9 activation in cancer cells, CDK9 inhibitors have emerged as promising candidates for cancer therapy. Natural product-derived and chemically synthesized CDK9 inhibitors are being examined in preclinical and clinical research. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the role of CDK9 in transcriptional regulation, epigenetic regulation, and different cellular factor interactions, focusing on new advances. We show the importance of CDK9 in mediating tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Then, we provide an overview of some CDK9 inhibitors supported by multiple oncologic preclinical and clinical investigations. Finally, we discuss the perspective and challenge of CDK9 modulation in cancer.
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Borowczak J, Szczerbowski K, Maniewski M, Zdrenka M, Słupski P, Antosik P, Kołodziejska S, Sekielska-Domanowska M, Dubiel M, Bodnar M, Szylberg Ł. The Prognostic Role of CDK9 in Bladder Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14061492. [PMID: 35326643 PMCID: PMC8945910 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14061492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Most patients with urothelial carcinoma are diagnosed with non-invasive tumors, but the prognosis worsens with the progression of the disease. Overexpression of cyclin-dependent kinase 9 has been recently linked to increased cancer proliferation, faster progression, and worse prognosis. However, some cancers seem to contradict this rule. In this work, we explored the prognostic role of CDK9 expression in urothelial carcinoma. Materials and Methods: We performed immunohistochemical analysis on 72 bladder cancer samples. To assess a larger group of patients, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database containing 406 cases and transcriptomics information through the Human Pathology Atlas were analyzed. Results: CDK9 is overexpressed in urothelial cancer tissues when compared to normal urothelial tissues (p < 0.05). High CDK9 expression was observed in low-stage, low-grade, and non-muscle-invasive tumors (p < 0.05). The patients with high CDK9 expression had a significantly higher 5-year overall survival rate than those with low CDK9 expression (77.54% vs. 53.6% in the TMA group and 57.75% vs. 35.44% in the TCGA group, respectively) (p < 0.05). The results were consistent in both cohorts. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that low CDK9 status was an independent predictor for poor prognosis in the TCGA cohort (HR 1.60, CL95% 1.1−2.33, p = 0.014). Conclusions: High CDK9 expression predicts a favorable prognosis in urothelial carcinoma and is associated with clinicopathological features characteristic for early-stage disease. The decrease in CDK9 expression can be associated with the build-up of genetic instability and may indicate a key role for CDK9 in the early stages of urothelial carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jędrzej Borowczak
- Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.S.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (M.B.); (Ł.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-52-5854200; Fax: +48-52-5854049
| | - Krzysztof Szczerbowski
- Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.S.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (M.B.); (Ł.S.)
| | - Mateusz Maniewski
- Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.S.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (M.B.); (Ł.S.)
| | - Marek Zdrenka
- Department of Tumor Pathology and Pathomorphology, Oncology Centre—Prof. Franciszek Łukaszczyk Memorial Hospital, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
| | - Piotr Słupski
- Department of Urology, University Hospital No. 2 im. Dr. Jan Biziel in Bydgoszcz, 85-168 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
| | - Paulina Antosik
- Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.S.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (M.B.); (Ł.S.)
| | - Sylwia Kołodziejska
- Chair of Pathology, University Hospital No. 2 im. Dr. Jan Biziel in Bydgoszcz, 85-168 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
| | - Marta Sekielska-Domanowska
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Oncology, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, 85-168 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (M.S.-D.); (M.D.)
| | - Mariusz Dubiel
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Oncology, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, 85-168 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (M.S.-D.); (M.D.)
| | - Magdalena Bodnar
- Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.S.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (M.B.); (Ł.S.)
- Chair of Pathology, University Hospital No. 2 im. Dr. Jan Biziel in Bydgoszcz, 85-168 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
| | - Łukasz Szylberg
- Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.S.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (M.B.); (Ł.S.)
- Department of Tumor Pathology and Pathomorphology, Oncology Centre—Prof. Franciszek Łukaszczyk Memorial Hospital, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
- Chair of Pathology, University Hospital No. 2 im. Dr. Jan Biziel in Bydgoszcz, 85-168 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
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Diamond JR, Boni V, Lim E, Nowakowski G, Cordoba R, Morillo D, Valencia R, Genvresse I, Merz C, Boix O, Frigault MM, Greer JM, Hamdy AM, Huang X, Izumi R, Wong H, Moreno V. First-in-human dose escalation study of cyclin-dependent kinase-9 inhibitor VIP152 in patients with advanced malignancies shows early signs of clinical efficacy. Clin Cancer Res 2022; 28:1285-1293. [PMID: 35046056 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-3617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To report on the first-in-human phase I study of VIP152 (NCT02635672), a potent and highly selective CDK9 inhibitor. PATIENTS AND METHODS Adults with solid tumors or aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who were refractory to or had exhausted all available therapies received VIP152 monotherapy as a 30-minute intravenous, once weekly infusion, as escalating doses (5, 10, 15, 22.5, or 30 mg in 21-day cycles) until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was determined. RESULTS Thirty-seven patients received {greater than or equal to} 1 VIP152 dose, with 30 mg identified as the MTD based on dose-limiting toxicity of grade 3/4 neutropenia. The most common adverse events were nausea and vomiting (75.7% and 56.8%, respectively), all of grade 1/2 severity. Of the most common events, Grade 3/4 events occurring in > 1 patient were neutropenia (22%), anemia (11%), abdominal pain (8%), increased alkaline phosphatase (8%), and hyponatremia (8%). Day 1 exposure for the MTD exceeded the predicted minimum therapeutic exposure and reproducibly achieved maximal pathway modulation; no accumulation occurred after multiple doses. Seven of 30 patients with solid tumors had stable disease (including 9.5 and 16.8 months in individual patients with pancreatic cancer and salivary gland cancer, respectively), and 2 of 7 patients with high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2/BCL6 translocations (HGL) achieved durable complete metabolic remission (ongoing at study discontinuation, after 3.7 and 2.3 years of treatment). CONCLUSION VIP152 monotherapy, administered intravenously once weekly, demonstrated a favorable safety profile and evidence of clinical benefit in patients with advanced HGL and solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Valentina Boni
- Department of Oncology, START Madrid-CIOCC HM University Hospital Sanchinarro
| | - Emerson Lim
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Victor Moreno
- Medical Oncology, START Madrid-FJD, Hospital Universitario Fundacion Jimenez Diaz
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