2. Academic Validation
  3. MELK Inhibition in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma

MELK Inhibition in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma

  • Clin Cancer Res. 2018 Nov 15;24(22):5645-5657. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-0924.
Michaël H Meel 1 2,  Mark C de Gooijer 3,  Miriam Guillén Navarro 1,  Piotr Waranecki 1 2,  Marjolein Breur 4,  Levi C M Buil 3,  Laurine E Wedekind 5,  Jos W R Twisk 6,  Jan Koster 7,  Rintaro Hashizume 8,  Eric H Raabe 9,  Angel Montero Carcaboso 10,  Marianna Bugiani 4,  Olaf van Tellingen 3,  Dannis G van Vuurden 1 2,  Gertjan J L Kaspers 1 2,  Esther Hulleman 11 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Departments of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • 2 Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
  • 3 Division of Pharmacology/Mouse Cancer Clinic, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • 4 Department of Pathology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • 5 Department of Neurosurgery, Neuro-oncology Research Group, Cancer Center Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • 6 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • 7 Department of Oncogenomics Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • 8 Departments of Neurological Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.
  • 9 Division of Pediatric Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
  • 10 Preclinical Therapeutics and Drug Delivery Research Program, Department of Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.
  • 11 Departments of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. [email protected].
PMID: 30061363 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-0924
Abstract

Purpose: Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a highly aggressive pediatric brain tumor, for which no effective therapeutic options currently exist. We here determined the potential of inhibition of the maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) for the treatment of DIPG.Experimental Design: We evaluated the antitumor efficacy of the small-molecule MELK Inhibitor OTSSP167 in vitro in patient-derived DIPG cultures, and identified the mechanism of action of MELK inhibition in DIPG by RNA sequencing of treated cells. In addition, we determined the blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration of OTSSP167 and evaluated its translational potential by treating mice bearing patient-derived DIPG xenografts.Results: This study shows that MELK is highly expressed in DIPG cells, both in patient samples and in relevant in vitro and in vivo models, and that treatment with OTSSP167 strongly decreases proliferation of patient-derived DIPG cultures. Inhibition of MELK in DIPG cells functions through reducing inhibitory phosphorylation of PPARγ, resulting in an increase in nuclear translocation and consequent transcriptional activity. Brain pharmacokinetic analyses show that OTSSP167 is a strong substrate for both MDR1 and BCRP, limiting its BBB penetration. Nonetheless, treatment of Mdr1a/b;Bcrp1 knockout mice carrying patient-derived DIPG xenografts with OTSSP167 decreased tumor growth, induced remissions, and resulted in improved survival.Conclusions: We show a strong preclinical effect of the kinase inhibitor OTSSP167 in the treatment of DIPG and identify the MELK-PPARγ signaling axis as a putative therapeutic target in this disease. Clin Cancer Res; 24(22); 5645-57. ©2018 AACR.

Figures
Products