Abstract 3498: Highly specific macrocyclic ATR inhibitors for the targeted treatment of a broad spectrum of cancers showing lack of anemia or neutropenia in pre-clinical animal models

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 79; no. 13_Supplement; p. 3498
• Main Authors: Pamarthy, Sahithi, Li, Dansu, Goliadze, Ekaterine, Gill, Tina, Jia, Lanqi, George, Erin, Butler, Laura R., Ragland, Ryan L., Afargan, Michel, Simpkins, Fiona A., Brown, Eric J., Gilad, Oren
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.07.2019
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
• DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2019-3498

Abstract Ataxia Telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) and its downstream effector Checkpoint Kinase 1 (CHK1) are central to the protection of stalled replication forks.Specific targeting of the ATR is synthetically lethal with multiple cancer-associated changes including oncogenic stress and defects in the DDR pathway and represents an emerging strategy to treat a broad spectrum of cancers. Atrin Pharmaceuticals has rationally designed a novel series of conformationally constrained macrocyclic ATR inhibitors with higher potency and selectivity than other ATR inhibitors currently in clinical development. An in-depth characterization of the ATRN series identified ATRN-119 as our lead compound with an in vitro enzyme IC50 of 20 nM and inhibition of ATR substrate CHK1 Ser345 phosphorylation in cells at an IC50 of 5 nM. ATRN-119 inhibits ATR in cells at much lower concentrations and demonstrates higher selectivity (>2000) for ATR over other closely-related PIK-kinases like ATM, DNA-PK and mTOR. Additionally, ATRN series have favorable ADME properties with increased water solubility and metabolic stability in human serum of up to 4 hours. Oral dosing of ATRN-119 showed significant antitumor effects in human pancreatic and colon cancer xenografts and in orthotopic ovarian Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) tumors. Notably, hematological analysis of mice treated with daily oral dosing of ATRN-119 indicated no thrombocytopenia, anemia or neutropenia up to 4 weeks of treatment. Exploratory multiple high dosing toxicity studies in rats and dogs indicate significant exposure and good tolerability with lack of anemia or neutropenia. In a series of in-vitro cell viability assays, three dimensional organoid cultures and in-vivo combinationstudies, ATRN-119 showed significant synergism with various PARP inhibitors as well as restoration of PARPi sensitivity in PARPi resistant tumors. Our data suggests a new generation of highly potent and selective ATR inhibitors with favorable safety profile and a broad clinical therapeutic potential either as monotherapy, in combination with PARP inhibitors or as a synthetic lethal approach with key DDR mutations. Citation Format: Sahithi Pamarthy, Dansu Li, Ekaterine Goliadze, Tina Gill, Lanqi Jia, Erin George, Laura R. Butler, Ryan L. Ragland, Michel Afargan, Fiona A. Simpkins, Eric J. Brown, Oren Gilad. Highly specific macrocyclic ATR inhibitors for the targeted treatment of a broad spectrum of cancers showing lack of anemia or neutropenia in pre-clinical animal models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3498.