Abstract
Abstract c-Met, the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), is a well characterized receptor tyrosine kinase, which is crucial for cell functions, such as survival, proliferation, motility and migration. Activating point mutations of c-Met have been identified in human malignancies, including renal carcinoma and lung cancer and constitutive activation of the HGF/c-Met pathway leads to tumor development and progression in cancer animal models. In the light of these findings, c-Met has become a key target for oncology therapeutics. In order to develop c-Met specific inhibitors, we have conducted a biochemical HTS run with the recombinant kinase domain of c-Met. This approach has enabled us to identify a new class of c-Met inhibitors. Our report will focus on pharmacological and pre-clinical data, characterising EMD1214063, a promising therapeutic candidate currently under clinical testing. Inhibition of the c-Met kinase by EMD1214063 was potent and highly selective. In in vitro kinase reactions and binding assays, EMD1214063 at a dose of 1μM, inhibited only 5 additional kinases in a panel of more than 250 different potential off-targets more than 50%. In vitro, EMD1214063 interfered with survival, anchorage-independent growth and HGF-induced migration of tumor cells, by blocking HGF-dependent as well as constitutive phosphorylation of c-Met. In vivo, oral administration of EMD1214063 resulted in a strong inhibition - ranging from delayed growth to complete regression - of HGF-dependent and -independent c-Met driven tumor xenografts. Such anti-tumor activity was observed at a broad dose range, suggesting that EMD1214063 has a wide therapeutic index. The inhibitor was well tolerated, as indicated by the lack of significant weight loss in treated mice. The mechanism of action of EMD1214063 was investigated in vivo in a series of PK/PD studies. Administration of a single dose of EMD1214063 induced a complete and long-lasting inhibition of c-Met phosphorylation in the tumor xenografts. Furthermore, it strongly reduced the plasma levels of tumor-derived IL-8. c-Met phosphorylation and plasma IL-8 levels decreased as a function of the drug concentration in the tumor and plasma. Taken together, the high c-Met selectivity, potency and in vivo efficacy of EMD1214063 render this compound a very promising candidate for the treatment of patients bearing c-Met-driven tumors. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3622.
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