AZD1208, a potent and selective pan-Pim kinase inhibitor, demonstrates efficacy in preclinical models of acute myeloid leukemia

EK Keeton, K McEachern, KS Dillman… - Blood, The Journal …, 2014 - ashpublications.org
EK Keeton, K McEachern, KS Dillman, S Palakurthi, Y Cao, MR Grondine, S Kaur, S Wang…
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2014ashpublications.org
Upregulation of Pim kinases is observed in several types of leukemias and lymphomas. Pim-
1,-2, and-3 promote cell proliferation and survival downstream of cytokine and growth factor
signaling pathways. AZD1208 is a potent, highly selective, and orally available Pim kinase
inhibitor that effectively inhibits all three isoforms at< 5 nM or< 150 nM in enzyme and cell
assays, respectively. AZD1208 inhibited the growth of 5 of 14 acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
cell lines tested, and sensitivity correlates with Pim-1 expression and STAT5 activation …
Abstract
Upregulation of Pim kinases is observed in several types of leukemias and lymphomas. Pim-1, -2, and -3 promote cell proliferation and survival downstream of cytokine and growth factor signaling pathways. AZD1208 is a potent, highly selective, and orally available Pim kinase inhibitor that effectively inhibits all three isoforms at <5 nM or <150 nM in enzyme and cell assays, respectively. AZD1208 inhibited the growth of 5 of 14 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines tested, and sensitivity correlates with Pim-1 expression and STAT5 activation. AZD1208 causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MOLM-16 cells, accompanied by a dose-dependent reduction in phosphorylation of Bcl-2 antagonist of cell death, 4EBP1, p70S6K, and S6, as well as increases in cleaved caspase 3 and p27. Inhibition of p4EBP1 and p-p70S6K and suppression of translation are the most representative effects of Pim inhibition in sensitive AML cell lines. AZD1208 inhibits the growth of MOLM-16 and KG-1a xenograft tumors in vivo with a clear pharmacodynamic-pharmacokinetic relationship. AZD1208 also potently inhibits colony growth and Pim signaling substrates in primary AML cells from bone marrow that are Flt3 wild-type or Flt3 internal tandem duplication mutant. These results underscore the therapeutic potential of Pim kinase inhibition for the treatment of AML.
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