Small Molecule Menin Inhibitors: Novel Therapeutic Agents Targeting Acute Myeloid Leukemia with KMT2A Rearrangement or NPM1 Mutation

Abstract

Recent advances have included insights into the clinical value of genomic abnormalities in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and consequently the development of numerous targeted therapeutic agents that have improved clinical outcome. In this setting, various clinical trials have recently explored novel therapeutic agents either used alone or in combination with intensive chemotherapy or low-intensity treatments. Among them, menin inhibitors could represent a novel group of targeted therapies in AML driven by rearrangement of the lysine methyltransferase 2A ( KMT2A ) gene, previously known as mixed-lineage leukemia ( MLL ), or by mutation of the nucleophosmin 1 ( NPM1 ) gene. Recent phase 1/2 clinical trials confirmed the efficacy of SNDX-5613 (revumenib) and KO-539 (ziftomenib) and their acceptable tolerability. Several small molecule menin inhibitors are currently being evaluated as a combination therapy with standard of care treatments. The current paper reviews the recent progress in exploring the inhibitors of menin–KMT2A interactions and their application prospects in the treatment of acute leukemias.