PLX038: a long-acting topoisomerase I inhibitor with robust anti-tumor activity in ATM deficient tumors and potent synergy with PARP inhibitors

Abstract Alterations in the ATM gene are among the most common somatic and hereditary cancer mutations, and ATM-deficient tumors are hypersensitive to DNA damaging agents. A synthetic lethal combination of DNA damaging agents and DNA repair inhibitors could have widespread utility in ATM-deficient cancers. However, overlapping normal tissue toxicities from these drug classes have precluded their clinical translation. We investigated PLX038, a releasable polyethylene glycol (PEG)-conjugate of the topoisomerase I inhibitor SN-38, in ATM wild-type and null isogenic xenografts and in a BRCA1-deficient xenograft. PLX038 monotherapy and combination with PARP inhibition potently inhibited the growth of both BRCA1- and ATM-deficient tumors. A patient with an ATM mutated breast cancer treated with PLX038 and the PARP inhibitor rucaparib achieved rapid, symptomatic, and radiographic complete response lasting twelve months. Single agent PLX038 or PLX038 in combination with DNA damage response inhibitors are novel therapeutic paradigms for patients with ATM-loss cancers.