UM-164: a potent c-Src/p38 kinase inhibitor with in vivo activity against triple negative breast cancer
Menée sur des lignées cellulaires et à l'aide de xénogreffes de cancer du sein triplement négatif, cette étude met en évidence l'activité antitumorale d'un composé appelé UM-164, un nouvel inhibiteur de c-Src
Purpose: c-Src has been shown to play a pivotal role in breast cancer progression, metastasis, and angiogenesis. In the clinic, however, the limited efficacy and high toxicity of existing c-Src inhibitors has tempered the enthusiasm for targeting c-Src. We developed a novel c-Src inhibitor (UM-164) that specifically binds the DFG-out inactive conformation of its target kinases. We hypothesized that binding the inactive kinase conformation would lead to improved pharmacological outcomes by altering the non-catalytic functions of the targeted kinases. Experimental Design: We have analyzed the anti-TNBC activity of UM-164 in a comprehensive manner that includes in vitro cell proliferation, migration, and invasion assays (including a novel patient-derived xenograft cell line, VARI-068), along with in vivo TNBC xenografts. Results: We demonstrate that UM-164 binds the inactive kinase conformation of c-Src. Kinome-wide profiling of UM-164 identified Src and p38 kinase families were potently inhibited by UM-164. We further demonstrate that dual c-Src/p38 inhibition is superior to mono-inhibition of c-Src or p38 alone. We demonstrate that UM-164 alters the cell localization of c-Src in TNBC cells. In xenograft models of TNBC, UM-164 resulted in a significant decrease of tumor growth compared to controls, with limited in vivo toxicity. Conclusions: In contrast to c-Src kinase inhibitors used in the clinic [1, 2], we demonstrate in vivo efficacy in xenograft models of TNBC. Our results suggest that the dual activity drug UM-164 is a promising lead compound for developing the first targeted therapeutic strategy against TNBC.