Purpose: We hypothesized that inhibition and trapping of PARP1 alone would be sufficient to achieve anti-tumor activity. In particular, we aimed to achieve selectivity over PARP2, which has been shown to a play role in the survival of hematopoietic/stem progenitor cells in animal models. We developed AZD5305 with the aim to achieve improved clinical efficacy and wider therapeutic window. This next generation PARPi could provide a paradigm shift in clinical outcomes achieved by first generation PARPi, particularly in combination. Patients and Methods: AZD5305 was tested in vitro for PARylation inhibition, PARP-DNA trapping and antiproliferative abilities. In vivo efficacy was determined in mouse xenograft and PDX models. The potential for hematological toxicity was evaluated in rat models as monotherapy and combination. Results: AZD5305 is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of PARP1 with 500-fold selectivity for PARP1 over PARP2. AZD5305 inhibits growth in cells with deficiencies in DNA repair, with minimal/no effects in other cells. Unlike first generation PARPi, AZD5305 has minimal effects on hematological parameters in a rat pre-clinical model at predicted clinically efficacious exposures. Animal models treated with AZD5305 at doses ≥0.1mg/kg QD achieved greater depth of tumor regression compared to olaparib 100mg/kg QD, and longer duration of response. Conclusions: AZD5305 potently and selectively inhibits PARP1 resulting in excellent antiproliferative activity and unprecedented selectivity for DNA repair deficient versus proficient cells. These data confirm the hypothesis that targeting only PARP1 can retain therapeutic benefits of non-selective PARPi, while reducing potential for hematotoxicity. AZD5305 is currently in Ph1 trials (NCT04644068).
PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have demonstrated clinical efficacy in cancers with defects in the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway. Recent advances in the understanding of the PARPi mechanism of action via stabilization of the PARP-DNA complex (trapping) and of the biological roles of the different PARP family members led to the development of AZD5305, a next generation, potent and selective PARP1 inhibitor and trapper. In this work, we disclose for the first time the profiling of AZD5305 in cellular models and how its activity differentiates from other PARPi. AZD5305 was able to potently inhibits overall PARylation in A549 cell line with IC50 of 3 nM, and to target PARP1 ~500 times more potently than PARP2 in A549 PARP1-KO, confirming its selectivity in cells. With our novel, sensitive and high-throughput immunofluorescence-based assay, we tested the ability of PARPi to trap PARP1 or PARP2 onto the chromatin of damaged or undamaged cells; olaparib, talazoparib and veliparib will be presented as comparative examples of non-selective PARPi. Unlike all the current clinical PARPi, AZD5305 was able to selectively induce PARP1 trapping upon treatments with concentrations as low as nanomolar (nM), whereas PARP2-trapping was not observed at any of the tested conditions. These optimal profiles of AZD5305 translated into greatly improved targeted anticancer effects in vitro compared to all other PARPi. In BRCA mutant (BRCAm) cells, treatments with AZD5305 led to antiproliferative IC50 in the single-digit nM, whilst there was no- or minimal effect in the isogenic paired BRCA wild type (BRCAwt) cells after treatments with double-digit µM concentrations. We further explored the effects of AZD5305 in genetic backgrounds “beyond BRCAm” and confirmed its superior antiproliferative and selective activity, particularly in cells isogenic for relevant genes in the HRR pathway, like PALB2 and RAD51. Screening of AZD5305 and other PARPi in larger cell lines panels revealed a differential clustering of AZD5305-treated cells between the sensitive versus the insensitive ones; this indicates that AZD5305 is also a unique instrumental tool to explore and refine selective PARP1-related activities in cancer cells, and the effects of targeting them, in different genetic backgrounds. With this goal, we are currently performing CRISPR/Cas9 screens to identify genes that, upon downregulation, cause sensitization to AZD5305. Preliminary results of these screens will be presented here. In summary, the optimal PARP1 inhibition and trapping profile of AZD5305 in cells demonstrated that AZD5305 is a next generation PARPi, with great potentials to become the best in class and deliver a markedly improved therapeutic index in the clinic. Citation Format: Giuditta Illuzzi, Lisa McWilliams, Kunzah Jamal, Alessandro Galbiati, Sabrina Bentouati, Daniel Griffiths, Elisabetta Leo. In vitro cellular profiling of AZD5305, novel PARP1-selective inhibitor and trapper [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1272.
The Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family has numerous essential functions in cellular processes such as transcription, chromatin remodelling, DNA damage response and repair as well as apoptosis. PARP inhibition blocks base excision repair and results in conversion of SSBs to DNA double-strand break (DSBs). DSBs are the most deleterious form of DNA damage that can be generated by exogenous DNA damaging agents or endogenous replication stress. DSBs can be repaired by homologous recombination repair (HRR) or non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The physiological importance of HRR is underscored by the observation of genomic instability in HRR-deficient (HRD+) cells and, importantly, the association of cancer predisposition and developmental defects with mutations in HRR genes. PARP1 and PARP2 are required for SSB repair, while PARP1 is also involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and replication fork damage. Recent reports suggest the PARP1 inhibition is sufficient to elicit an anti-proliferative effect and that PARP2 is essential for the survival of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in animal models.AZD9574 is a novel brain penetrant PARP1 inhibitor that acts by selectively inhibiting and trapping PARP1 at the sites of SSBs. AZD9574 exhibited >8000-fold selectivity for PARP1 compared to PARP2 and other members of the PARP family (PARP2, PARP3, PARP5a and PARP6) in biochemical assays. While AZD9574 inhibited PARP1 enzymatic activity in all tested cell lines irrespective of the HRR status (IC50 range between 0.3 - 2 nM), colony formation assay in isogenic cell lines pairs confirmed higher potency and selectivity towards HRD+ models (DLD1 BRCA2-/-; SKOV-3 BRCA2-/- and SKOV-3 PALB2-/-). For example, AZD9574 IC50 in the BRCA2-/- DLD1 cells was 1.38 nM compared to IC50 > 40 µM BRCA2wt cells, which corresponds to a ~20,000-fold greater efficacy in the BRCA2-/-cells (ratio of AZD9574 IC50 in BRCA2wt divided by BRCA2-/-) compared to the wild type parental line. In vivo, AZD9574 demonstrated dose-dependent efficacy in a BRCA1 mutant MDA-MB-436 subcutaneous xenograft model. Anti-tumour effects of AZD9574 were manifested by pronounced growth regressions that were durable after treatment withdrawal. An intracranial xenograft model of breast cancer brain metastases was developed to assess the efficacy of AZD9574 in the context of blood-brain barrier penetrance. Treatment of animals with established intracranial lesions using a dose of 3 mg/kg AZD9574 showed sustained tumour growth suppression resulting in a significantly extended survival of tumour-bearing mice. Collectively, we believe that our data support the development of AZD9574 as a potential therapy for patients with HRD+ breast cancer whose disease has spread to the brain. Citation Format: Kunzah Jamal, Anna Staniszewska, Jacob Gordon, Shenghua Wen, Frank McGrath, Gregory Dowdell, Dominic Kabbabe, Giuditta illuzzi, Matthew Griffin, Barry R. Davies, Petra Hamerlik. AZD9574 is a novel, brain penetrant PARP-1 selective inhibitor with activity in an orthotopic, intracranial xenograft model with aberrant DNA repair [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2609.
Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi) are currently indicated for the treatment of ovarian, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers harbouring mutations in the tumour suppressor genes BRCA1 or BRCA2. In the case of ovarian and prostate cancers, their classification as homologous recombination repair (HRR) deficient (HRD) or mutated (HRRm) also makes PARPi an available treatment option beyond BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutational status. However, identification of the most relevant genetic alterations driving the HRD phenotype has proven difficult and recent data have shown that other genetic alterations not affecting HRR are also capable of driving PARPi responses. To gain insight into the genetics driving PARPi sensitivity, we performed CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screens in 6 PARPi-insensitive cell lines and combined the output with published PARPi datasets from 8 additional cell lines. Ensuing exploration of the data identified 110 genes whose inactivation is strongly linked to sensitivity to PARPi. Parallel cell line generation of isogenic gene knockouts in ovarian and prostate cancer cell lines identified that inactivation of core HRR factors is required for driving in vitro PARPi responses comparable to the ones observed for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Moreover, pan-cancer genetic, transcriptomic and epigenetic data analyses of these 110 genes highlight the ones most frequently inactivated in tumours, making this study a valuable resource for prospective identification of potential PARPi-responsive patient populations. Importantly, our investigations uncover XRCC3 gene silencing as a potential new prognostic biomarker of PARPi sensitivity in prostate cancer.
The Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family has numerous essential functions in cellular processes such as transcription, chromatin remodelling, DNA damage response and repair as well as apoptosis. PARP inhibition blocks base excision repair and results in conversion of SSBs to DNA double-strand break (DSBs), the most deleterious form of DNA damage. DSBs can be repaired by homologous recombination repair (HRR) or non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The physiological importance of HRR is underscored by the observation of genomic instability in HRR-deficient (HRD+) cells and, importantly, the association of cancer predisposition and developmental defects with mutations in HRR genes. PARP1 and PARP2 are required for SSB repair, while PARP1 is also involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and replication fork damage. AZD9574 is a novel brain penetrant PARP1 inhibitor that acts by selectively inhibiting and trapping PARP1 at the sites of SSBs. While AZD9574 inhibited PARP1 enzymatic activity in all tested cell lines irrespective of the HRR status (IC50 range between 0.3 – 2 nM), colony formation assay in isogenic cell lines pairs confirmed higher potency and selectivity towards HRD+ models. In vivo, AZD9574 demonstrated dose-dependent efficacy in a BRCA1 mutant MDA-MB-436 subcutaneous xenograft model. Anti-tumour effects of AZD9574 were manifested by significant growth regressions that were durable after treatment withdrawal. An intracranial xenograft model of breast cancer brain metastases was developed to assess the efficacy of AZD9574 in the context of blood-brain barrier penetrance. Treatment of animals with established intracranial lesions showed sustained tumour growth suppression resulting in a significantly extended survival of tumour-bearing mice. Collectively, we believe that our data support the development of AZD9574 as a potential therapy for patients with HRD+ breast cancer whose disease has spread to the brain.This abstract was previously presented at AACR 2022 (Hamerlik et al, AACR 2022, Abs #3880)
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