Abstract 5742: Therapeutic efficacy of CA102N in pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a challenging cancer to treat due to its aggressive nature and late-stage diagnosis. Considering the lack of effective therapies, there is an urgent need to develop new and effective therapeutics to improve the prognosis of patients. CA102N is a carrier-mediated novel anticancer product where hyaluronic acid is conjugated to Nimesulide-NH2. CA102N is currently under development for the treatment of solid tumors, including colorectal cancer. CA102N was safe and well tolerated in the first-in-human trial in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. In the present study, the in vitro anticancer activity of CA102N was investigated in K-ras mutant PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells. The antitumor efficacy was also tested in vivo in the PANC-1 mice model. Results demonstrated that CA102N inhibits cell growth, cell migration, angiogenesis, and cell proliferation in both K-ras mutant PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells or tumors. Administration of CA102N in PANC-1 xenografts resulted in a dose-dependent and statistically significant decrease in tumor growth at 9.8 mg/kg and 14.7 mg/kg Nim equivalents, respectively, compared to the vehicle control group. A significant decrease (80%) in liver metastasis was also noted in the PANC-1 orthotopic mice model at 19.6 mg/kg Nim equivalents dose level. Mechanistically, CA102N was found to suppress the PI3k/Akt/mTOR and Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathways, in addition to reducing the expressions of the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) reader and writer proteins, OCT3/4 transcription factor and RAS levels in vivo. CA102N also modified the tumor stroma and improved drug permeability in vivo. Based on this compelling data, CA102N shows promise as a potential treatment for pancreatic cancer. Combination therapies and regimens are currently being explored in in vivo models as a strategy for clinical development. Citation Format: Louis Lin, Shuling Tu, Eskouhie Tchaparian. Therapeutic efficacy of CA102N in pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 5742.