Project description:Although chemo-immunotherapy has greatly improved survival of B-cell lymphoma patients, treatment resistant and refractory disease represent a major challenge that call for development of new treatment options. Karonudib (TH1579) is a new drug developed to inhibit MTH1, an enzyme which prevents oxidized dNTPs from being incorporated into DNA. Here, we tested the efficacy of karonudib in vitro and in preclinical models of B-cell lymphoma. Karonudib reduced viability in a wide range of B-cell lymphoma cell lines at concentrations that were well tolerated by activated normal B cells. Induction of mitotic arrest was seen as early as 6 h after karonudib treatment, with induction of apoptosis detected after 12 h. These effects were observed independent of TP53 mutational status. Increased incorporation of 8-oxo-dGTP into DNA, in addition to arrest in prometaphase due to failure in spindle assembly were detected in cells exposed to karonudib, suggesting a dual inhibitory mechanism. Karonudib inhibited tumor growth, led to complete remission in the majority of cases and prolonged survival in two different xenograft mouse models of aggressive B-cell lymphoma, including an ABC DLBCL patient-derived xenograft model. Karonudib was well tolerated in vivo, and no weight loss was observed in treated animals. NUDT1, the gene encoding MTH1, was upregulated in tumor biopsies from ABC and GCB DLBCL and BL patients, as compared to B cells from healthy donors. Together, our preclinical findings provide a rational for further clinical testing of karonudib in aggressive B-cell lymphoma.
Project description:The epigenome is often deregulated in cancer and treatment with inhibitors of bromodomain and extra-terminal proteins, the readers of epigenetic acetylation marks, represents a novel therapeutic approach. Here, we have characterized the anti-tumour activity of the novel bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) inhibitor BAY 1238097 in preclinical lymphoma mod- els. BAY 1238097 showed anti-proliferative activity in a large panel of lym- phoma-derived cell lines, with a median 50% inhibitory concentration between 70 and 208 nmol/l. The compound showed strong anti-tumour efficacy in vivo as a single agent in two diffuse large B cell lymphoma mod- els. Gene expression profiling showed BAY 1238097 targeted the NFKB/ TLR/JAK/STAT signalling pathways, MYC and E2F1-regulated genes, cell cycle regulation and chromatin structure. The gene expression profiling sig- natures also highly overlapped with the signatures obtained with other BET Bromodomain inhibitors and partially overlapped with HDAC-inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors and demethylating agents. Notably, BAY 1238097 presented in vitro synergism with EZH2, mTOR and BTK inhibitors. In conclusion, the BET inhibitor BAY 1238097 presented promising anti-lym- phoma preclinical activity in vitro and in vivo, mediated by the interference with biological processes driving the lymphoma cells. Our data also indicate the use of combination schemes targeting EZH2, mTOR and BTK along- side BET bromodomains.
Project description:Background: Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a malignancy with very poor survival outcome, in need of new more specific therapeutic regimen. The drivers of malignancy in this disease are CD4+ follicular helper T cells (Tfh). The metabolism of these malignant Tfh cells was not yet elucidated. Therefore, we decided to identify their metabolic requirements with the objective to propose a novel therapeutic option. Methods: To reveal the prominent metabolic pathways used by the AITL lymphoma cells, leveraged on our previously established AITL mouse model by crossing metabolomic and proteomic data of murine AITL cells. We confirmed these results using AITL patient and healthy T cell expression data. Results: Strikingly, the mAITL Tfh cells were highly dependent on the second branch of the Kennedy pathway, the choline lipid pathway, responsible for the production of the major membrane constituent phosphatidylcholine. Moreover, gene expression data from Tfh cells isolated from AITL patient tumors, confirmed the upregulation of the choline lipid pathway. Several enzymes involved in this pathway such as choline kinase, catalyzing the first step in the phosphatidylcholine pathway, respectively, are upregulated in multiple tumors other than AITL. Here we showed that treatment of our mAITL preclinical mouse model with the fatty acid oxydation inhibitor, etomoxir, significantly increased their survival and even reverted the exhausted CD8 T cells in the tumor into potent cytotoxic anti-tumor cells. Specific inhibition of Chok confirmed the importance of the phosphatidylcholine production pathway in the neoplastic CD4+ T cells, since it irradicated almost all the mAITL Tfh cells from the tumors. Finally, the same inhibitor induced in human AITL lymphoma biopsies cell death of the majority of the hAITL PD-1high neoplastic cells. Conclusion: Our results suggest that interfering with the choline metabolism in AITL might represent a new therapeutic strategy for these patients.
Project description:Here we report the discovery of highly potent and selective EZH2 small molecule inhibitors, their validation by a cellular thermal shift assay, their application across a large lymphoma cell panel and their efficacy in GCBDLBCL xenograft models. Baseline ChIP-seq measurement of KARPAS-422 cell line H3K27me3 levels, without treatment. Two samples -- H3K27me3 and Input included as control.
Project description:Here we report the discovery of highly potent and selective EZH2 small molecule inhibitors, their validation by a cellular thermal shift assay, their application across a large lymphoma cell panel and their efficacy in GCBDLBCL xenograft models. RNA-seq of KARPAS-422 cell line RNA, in duplicate, treated with DMSO as control, and EZH2 inhibitors CPI360, EPZ-6438 and GSK126. Eight samples in total.
Project description:Background & Aims: Aberrant activation of fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a major metabolic event during the development of HCC. We evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of TVB3664, a novel FASN inhibitor, either alone or in combination, for HCC treatment. Approach & Results: The therapeutic efficacy and the molecular pathways targeted by TVB3664, either alone or with tyrosine kinase inhibitors or the checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-L1 antibody, were assessed in human HCC cell lines and multiple oncogene-driven HCC mouse models. RNAseq was performed to characterize the global gene expression and metabolic profiles. TVB3664 effectively ameliorated the fatty liver phenotype in the aged mice and AKT activation-induced hepatic steatosis. TVB3664 monotherapy showed moderate efficacy in NASH-related murine HCCs, induced by loss of PTEN and c-MET overexpression. TVB3664, in combination with cabozantinib, triggered tumor regression in this mouse HCC model but did not improve the responsiveness to immunotherapy. Global gene expression revealed that TVB3664 predominantly modulated metabolic processes, while TVB3664 synergized with cabozantinib to downregulate multiple cancer-related pathways, especially the AKT/mTOR pathway and cell proliferation genes. TVB3664 also improved the therapeutic efficacy of sorafenib and cabozantinib in the FASN-dependent c-MYC HCC model. However, TVB3664 had no efficacy nor synergistic effects in FASN-independent mouse HCC models. Conclusions: This preclinical study suggests the limited efficacy of targeting FASN as monotherapy for HCC treatment. However, FASN inhibitors could be combined with other drugs for improved effectiveness. These combination therapies could be developed based on the driver oncogenes, supporting precision medicine approaches for HCC treatment.
Project description:BRG1/BRM inhibitor targets AML stem cells and exerts superior preclinical efficacy combined with BET or Menin inhibitor (scATAC-Seq)
Project description:BRG1/BRM inhibitor targets AML stem cells and exerts superior preclinical efficacy combined with BET or Menin inhibitor (scRNA-Seq)