E7090, a Novel Selective Inhibitor of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors, Displays Potent Antitumor Activity and Prolongs Survival in Preclinical Models

The FGFR signaling pathway has a crucial role in proliferation, survival, and migration of Cancer cells, tumor angiogenesis, and drug resistance. FGFR genetic abnormalities, such as gene fusion, mutation, and amplification, have been implicated in several types of Cancer. Therefore, FGFRs are considered potential targets for Cancer therapy. E7090 is an orally available and selective inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase activities of FGFR1, -2, and -3. In kinetic analyses of the interaction between E7090 and FGFR1 tyrosine kinase, E7090 associated more rapidly with FGFR1 than did the type II FGFR1 Inhibitor ponatinib, and E7090 dissociated more slowly from FGFR1, with a relatively longer residence time, than did the type I FGFR1 Inhibitor AZD4547, suggesting that its kinetics are more similar to the type V inhibitors, such as lenvatinib. E7090 showed selective antiproliferative activity against Cancer cell lines harboring FGFR genetic abnormalities and decreased tumor size in a mouse xenograft model using cell lines with dysregulated FGFR Furthermore, E7090 administration significantly prolonged the survival of mice with metastasized tumors in the lung. Our results suggest that E7090 is a promising candidate as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of tumors harboring FGFR genetic abnormalities. It is currently being investigated in a phase I clinical trial. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(11); 2630-9. ©2016 AACR.