Inhibitory activity and kinase selectivity of TAS6417 in biochemical assays

Supplementary Table S3: Retinal and tumoral distributions of HSP90 inhibitors in an NCI-H1975 rat xenograft model.

Body weight change resulting from once-daily oral administration of TAS6417

Supplementary Table S2: Inhibitory effects of TAS-116 on the metabolic activities catalyzed by various human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes.

Methods for in vitro kinase assay, genome sequence, and immunoblotting analysis

Supplementary Table S1: Inhibitory activity of TAS-116 and staurosporine against a panel of 48 protein kinases.

Synthesis procedures and characterization data for the synthesis of TAS6417

PDF - 243KB, Supplementary Figure S1. Growth inhibition of TAS-115 against MET amplified cancer cell lines. Supplementary Figure S2. Kinase inhibitor-induced cell damage in rat cardiomyocytes after 96 h of treatment. Supplementary Figure S3. Gene expression changes in mice bearing human gastric cancer SC-9 after TAS-115 or sunitinib treatment. Supplementary Figure S4. Anti-tumor efficacy of TAS-115 against athymic mice transplanted with MET-amplified human gastric cancer Hs746T (A), NUGC-4 (B). Supplementary Figure S5. The inhibitory activity of sunitinib against adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Supplementary Table S1. Kinase inhibitory activity of TAS-115 and sunitinib against 192 kinases. Supplementary Table S2. Cell growth inhibition of TAS-115, sunitinib, sorafenib and crizotinib against MET-amplified or MET-inactivated cancer cell lines. Supplementary Table S3. Median survival times (MST) in the NUGC-4 peritoneal dissemination model after TAS-115 or sunitinib treatment.

Establishment of a cell line tool with an EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation

Assignment of MSE fragmentation data for protease-digested peptide with TAS6417

Supplementary Figure S1: Biodistribution of ganetespib, 17-DMAG, or SNX-5422 in athymic nude rats with established NCI-H1975 xenografts.

Abstract FGFR signaling is deregulated in many human cancers, and FGFR is considered a valid target in FGFR-deregulated tumors. Here, we examine the preclinical profile of futibatinib (TAS-120; 1-[(3S)-[4-amino-3-[(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethynyl]-1H-pyrazolo[3, 4-d] pyrimidin-1-yl]-1-pyrrolidinyl]-2-propen-1-one), a structurally novel, irreversible FGFR1–4 inhibitor. Among a panel of 296 human kinases, futibatinib selectively inhibited FGFR1–4 with IC50 values of 1.4 to 3.7 nmol/L. Futibatinib covalently bound the FGFR kinase domain, inhibiting FGFR phosphorylation and, in turn, downstream signaling in FGFR-deregulated tumor cell lines. Futibatinib exhibited potent, selective growth inhibition of several tumor cell lines (gastric, lung, multiple myeloma, bladder, endometrial, and breast) harboring various FGFR genomic aberrations. Oral administration of futibatinib led to significant dose-dependent tumor reduction in various FGFR-driven human tumor xenograft models, and tumor reduction was associated with sustained FGFR inhibition, which was proportional to the administered dose. The frequency of appearance of drug-resistant clones was lower with futibatinib than a reversible ATP-competitive FGFR inhibitor, and futibatinib inhibited several drug-resistant FGFR2 mutants, including the FGFR2 V565I/L gatekeeper mutants, with greater potency than any reversible FGFR inhibitors tested (IC50, 1.3–50.6 nmol/L). These results indicate that futibatinib is a novel orally available, potent, selective, and irreversible inhibitor of FGFR1–4 with a broad spectrum of antitumor activity in cell lines and xenograft models. These findings provide a strong rationale for testing futibatinib in patients with tumors oncogenically driven by FGFR genomic aberrations, with phase I to III trials ongoing. Significance: Preclinical characterization of futibatinib, an irreversible FGFR1–4 inhibitor, demonstrates selective and potent antitumor activity against FGFR-deregulated cancer cell lines and xenograft models, supporting clinical evaluation in patients with FGFR-driven tumors.

Abstract Activating mutations in the EGFR gene are important targets in cancer therapy because they are key drivers of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although almost all common EGFR mutations, such as exon 19 deletions and the L858R point mutation in exon 21, are sensitive to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapies, NSCLC driven by EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations is associated with poor clinical outcomes due to dose-limiting toxicity, demonstrating the need for a novel therapy. TAS6417 is a novel EGFR inhibitor that targets EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations while sparing wild-type (WT) EGFR. In cell viability assays using Ba/F3 cells engineered to express human EGFR, TAS6417 inhibited EGFR with various exon 20 insertion mutations more potently than it inhibited the WT. Western blot analysis revealed that TAS6417 inhibited EGFR phosphorylation and downstream molecules in NSCLC cell lines expressing EGFR exon 20 insertions, resulting in caspase activation. These characteristics led to marked tumor regression in vivo in both a genetically engineered model and in a patient-derived xenograft model. Furthermore, TAS6417 provided a survival benefit with good tolerability in a lung orthotopic implantation mouse model. These findings support the clinical evaluation of TAS6417 as an efficacious drug candidate for patients with NSCLC harboring EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(8); 1648–58. ©2018 AACR.

Background The erosions of bone and cartilage are a cardinal feature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and associated with disease severity and poor functional outcome1. Although several anti-inflammatory drugs improve symptoms of articular inflammation, they are less effective against bone erosion. The bone erosions in RA are associated with aberrant activations of osteoclasts induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines and receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)2. Bruton9s tyrosine kinase (BTK), which is expressed in immune cells and mature osteoclast, is reported to be a key molecule in inflammatory response and bone resorption3,4. Thus, targeting BTK may be efficacious against not only inflammation but also bone erosion through direct regulation of activation of effector cells such as B cells, macrophages and osteoclasts in RA. Objectives In this study, we evaluated the effect of TAS5315, a novel BTK inhibitor, on in vitro osteoclasts activation and bone erosion in mouse collagen-induced arthritis. Methods Kinase selectivity of TAS5315 was assessed by available kinase assay panels. The effects of TAS5315 on macrophages and osteoclasts were assessed by examining phosphorylation of BTK, cytokine productions, osteoclast differentiation and bone resorptions. The effects of TAS5315 were investigated in mouse collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Disease severity was evaluated by clinical score of paw swelling. Changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone erosion were assessed using microCT. TNF blocker was used as a control drug. Results TAS5315 selectively inhibited the enzyme activity of BTK and had less off target inhibition against other kinases. TAS5315 dose-dependently inhibited cytokine productions by macrophages, phosphorylation of BTK, osteoclastogenesis and bone resorbing activity in osteoclasts. In established mouse CIA, TAS5315 significantly ameliorated paw swelling in a dose dependent manner and the anti-inflammatory effect of TAS5315 (0.3 mg/kg, once daily) was comparable to that of TNF blocker. Most importantly, improvement of BMD and bone erosion were observed in TAS5315 treated mice at a doses of higher than 0.1 mg/kg within 13 days from treatment initiation, but not in TNF blocker-treated mice. The onset of action of TAS5315 on BMD and bone erosion was earlier and stronger compared with that of TNF blocker. These data suggest that TAS5315 had direct effect against osteoclasts function and led to improvement of bone erosion in murine model for RA. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that TAS5315, a novel BTK inhibitor, would be an ideal RA therapeutic agent that could inhibit bone destruction as well as inflammation. References Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2012;8,656–64. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2015;11,189–94. Cell. 2008;132,794–806. Drug Discov Today. 2014;19,1200–4. Disclosure of Interest None declared

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor TAS-115 that blocks VEGF receptor and hepatocyte growth factor receptor MET signaling exhibits antitumor properties in xenografts of human gastric carcinoma. In this study, we have evaluated the efficacy of TAS-115 in preventing prostate cancer metastasis to the bone and bone destruction using the PC3 cell line. When PC3 cells were injected into proximal tibiae in nude mouse, severe trabecular and cortical bone destruction and subsequent tumor growths were detected. Oral administration of TAS-115 almost completely inhibited both PC3-induced bone loss and PC3 cell proliferation by suppressing osteoclastic bone resorption. In an ex vivo bone organ culture, PC3 cells induced osteoclastic bone resorption when co-cultured with calvarial bone, but TAS-115 effectively suppressed the PC3-induced bone destruction. We found that macrophage colony-stimulating factor-dependent macrophage differentiation and subsequent receptor activator of NF-κB ligand-induced osteoclast formation were largely suppressed by adding TAS-115. The phosphorylation of the macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor FMS and osteoclast related kinases such as ERK and Akt were also suppressed by the presence of TAS-115. Gene expression profiling showed that FMS expression was only seen in macrophage and in the osteoclast cell lineage. Our study indicates that tyrosine kinase signaling in host pre-osteoclasts/osteoclasts is critical for bone destruction induced by tumor cells and that targeting of MET/VEGF receptor/FMS activity makes it a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis.

Approximately 25-40% of patients with lung cancer show bone metastasis. Bone modifying agents reduce skeletal-related events (SREs), but they do not significantly improve overall survival. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches are urgently required. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor effect of TAS-115, a VEGFRs and HGF receptor (MET)-targeted kinase inhibitor, in a tumor-induced bone disease model. A549-Luc-BM1 cells, an osteo-tropic clone of luciferase-transfected A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549-Luc), produced aggressive bone destruction associated with tumor progression after intra-tibial (IT) implantation into mice. TAS-115 significantly reduced IT tumor growth and bone destruction. Histopathological analysis showed a decrease in tumor vessels after TAS-115 treatment, which might be mediated through VEGFRs inhibition. Furthermore, the number of osteoclasts surrounding the tumor was decreased after TAS-115 treatment. In vitro studies demonstrated that TAS-115 inhibited HGF-, VEGF-, and macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF)-induced signaling pathways in osteoclasts. Moreover, TAS-115 inhibited Feline McDonough Sarcoma oncogene (FMS) kinase, as well as M-CSF and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation. Thus, VEGFRs/MET/FMS-triple inhibition in osteoclasts might contribute to the potent efficacy of TAS-115. The fact that concomitant dosing of sunitinib (VEGFRs/FMS inhibition) with crizotinib (MET inhibition) exerted comparable inhibitory efficacy for bone destruction to TAS-115 also supports this notion. In conclusion, TAS-115 inhibited tumor growth via VEGFR-kinase blockade, and also suppressed bone destruction possibly through VEGFRs/MET/FMS-kinase inhibition, which resulted in potent efficacy of TAS-115 in an A549-Luc-BM1 bone disease model. Thus, TAS-115 shows promise as a novel therapy for lung cancer patients with bone metastasis.

Abstract Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) / HGF receptor (MET) signaling is considered to be involved in chemoresistance to cancer treatment. Notably, many reports have described reduced sensitivity to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-targeted inhibitors in patients with high serum HGF levels compared to those with low serum levels. This study investigated whether HGF directly influenced sensitivity to VEGFR-targeted inhibitors in human clear cell sarcoma (CCS) xenograft models using human HGF knock-in (hHGF KI) mice, and evaluated the potency of TAS-115. MET signaling pathway in SU-CCS-1, a human CCS cell line, were analyzed using Western blotting analysis. To study the effects of hypoxia in SU-CCS-1 cells, culture plates were placed in airtight jars under anaerobic conditions and cell viability was assessed by ATP-based assay. In the in vivo study, SU-CCS-1 cells were subcutaneously implanted into hHGF KI mice, and compounds were orally administered once daily for 14 consecutive days. Tumor vessel density (TVD) was determined by immunohistochemistry using anti-CD31 antibody. SU-CCS-1 cells expressed MET, and exogenous HGF phosphorylated MET and its downstream factors in SU-CCS-1 cells. Exogenous HGF also significantly enhanced SU-CCS-1 cell proliferation. TAS-115 inhibited HGF-induced MET phosphorylation and SU-CCS-1 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations higher than 10 nM. In contrast, pazopanib, a VEGFR-targeted multi-kinase inhibitor, could not block HGF-induced phenotypes in SU-CCS-1 cells, even at 1 μM. To evaluate the effects of HGF on the antitumor activities of TAS-115 and pazopanib against SU-CCS-1 cells, these agents were administered in hHGF KI and wild-type (WT) mice bearing subcutaneous SU-CCS-1 tumors. TAS-115 completely suppressed tumor growth and reduced TVD in SU-CCS-1 tumor tissue in both models at a dose of 200 mg/kg/d. In contrast, pazopanib suppressed tumor growth at a dose of 100 mg/kg/d in WT mice but not in hHGF KI mice. However, pazopanib significantly reduced TVD in SU-CCS-1 tumor tissue in both models. HGF is therefore suggested to impact SU-CCS-1 cells rather than mouse endothelial cells. We considered that HGF modulated cell proliferation or survival in SU-CCS-1 cells under hypoxia. Actually, hypoxic conditions induced apoptosis in SU-CCS-1 cells, and endogenous HGF dose-dependently attenuated hypoxia-related apoptosis. TAS-115 clearly restored HGF-mediated cytoprotection under hypoxia but pazopanib did not. These results suggest that effects of VEGFR-targeted inhibitors are attenuated by HGF-mediated hypoxia resistance, and simultaneous inhibitors of the MET and VEGFR axes, such as TAS-115, are more effective in sarcoma patients with high serum HGF than inhibition of the VEGFR axis alone. Citation Format: Hidenori Fujita, Yukari Yamada, Miki Terasaka, Yayoi Fujioka, Naomoto Harada, Akihiro Hashimoto, Kazutaka Miyadera, Kenichi Matsuo, Kazuhiko Yonekura. TAS-115, a novel and highly potent VEGFR/MET inhibitor, shows prominent antitumor efficacy by restoring HGF-mediated hypoxia-resistant phenotype in clear cell sarcoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2141.