Lunella Biotech, Inc.

Thomas Jefferson University

Federica Sotgia

Michael P Lisanti

Marco Fiorillo

The present disclosure relates to methods of identifying patients that may be responsive to mitochondrial inhibitor therapies to target and eradicate cancer stem cells. Also described are diagnostic kits that may be used to identify patients responsive to mitochondrial inhibitor therapies.

Companion diagnostics for mitochondrial inhibitors

This disclosure describes the use of azithromycin, roxithromycin, and telithromycin, including derivatives thereof, as senolytic drugs. BrdU was used to induce senescence in model human fibroblast cell lines. Also disclosed are methods for screening compounds for senolytic activity. The SRB assay was used to measure cell viability through protein content. Azithromycin roxithromycin, and telithromycin, clinically-approved pharmaceuticals, were found to be senolytic drugs. However, the closely-related parent compound, erythromycin, showed no senolytic activity. Azithromycin strongly induced both aerobic glycolysis and autophagy in human fibroblasts, but showed bi-phasic effects including on mitochondrial oxygen consumption rates with inhibitory activity at 50 μM and stimulatory activity at 100 μM. The xCELLigence real-time assay system showed that azithromycin preferentially targets senescent cells, removing approximately 97% (nearly a 25-fold reduction in senescent cells).

Azithromycin and roxithromycin derivatives as senolytic drugs

The present approach effectively eradicates senescent cells and cells carrying the hallmarks associated with aging, through inhibiting mitochondrial biogenesis during induced mitochondrial oxidative stress, without inhibiting normal cells. Embodiments may include a therapeutic agent that inhibits mitochondrial biogenesis and targets the large mitochondrial ribosome, a therapeutic agent that inhibits mitochondrial biogenesis and targets the small mitochondrial ribosome, and a therapeutic agent that behaves as a pro-oxidant or induces mitochondrial oxidative stress. Some embodiments include sub-antimicrobial antibiotic concentrations, thereby minimizing antibiotic resistance concerns.

Triple combination therapies for anti-aging

Antibiotics having intrinsic anti-mitochondrial properties may be chemically modified to target the antibiotics to mitochondria, and the resulting 'antimitoscins' may have enhanced anti-cancer properties, among other advantageous properties. Also described are methods for identifying antimitoscins, methods of using antimitoscins to target cancer stem cells, and pharmaceutical compositions for treating cancer containing one or more antimitoscins as the active ingredient. Specific antimitoscins compounds and groups of antimitoscins are also disclosed.

Antimitoscins: targeted inhibitors of mitochondrial biogenesis for eradicating cancer stem cells

The present disclosure relates to compounds and methods of eradicating cancer stem cells by combining inhibitors of oxidative metabolism and glycolytic metabolism. Also described are compounds and methods of identifying a combination of inhibitors of oxidative metabolism and glycolytic metabolism to treat cancer stem cells.

Vitamin c and doxycycline: a synthetic lethal combination therapy for eradicating cancer stem cells (CSCS)

MCF7-fibroblast co-cultures are a valuable model of resistance to apoptosis induced by hormonal therapies, such as Tamoxifen and Fulvestrant. These mixed co-cultures demonstrate the induction of mito-sternness and ribo-stemness features. Molecular therapeutic targets were identified through label-free proteomics of MCF7-fibroblast co-cultures, and independently validated using a bioinformatics approach. The resulting Mito-Signature is prognostic of endocrine treatment failure, tumor recurrence, and distant metastasis, and may be used to identify patients at risk of treatment failure. Such patients may be treated with a mitochondrial biogenesis inhibitor to reduce the risk of treatment failure, and/or to increase the effectiveness of the hormone therapy.

Therapeutics and methods for predicting and overcoming endocrine resistance in breast cancer

The present disclosure relates to compounds that bind to at least one of ACAT1/2 and OXCT1/2 and inhibit mitochondrial ATP production, referred to herein as mitoketoscins. Methods of screening compounds for mitochondrial inhibition and anti-cancer properties are disclosed. Also described are methods of using mitoketoscins to prevent or treat cancer, bacterial infections, and pathogenic yeast, as well as methods of using mitoketoscins to provide anti-aging benefits. Specific mitoketoscin compounds are also disclosed.

Mitoketoscins: mitochondrial-based therapeutics targeting ketone metabolism in cancer cells

The present disclosure relates to a Proteomics-to-Genomics approach allows for in silico validation of biomarkers and drug targets. Biomarkers having high prognostic value in predicting cancer patient populations that may benefit from mitochondrial biogenesis inhibitor therapy may be identified under the present approach. Also disclosed are methods for identifying candidates for anti-mitochondrial therapy, and in particular mitochondrial biogenesis inhibitor therapy. Diagnostic kits including reagents for determining transcripts or probes of high prognostic value are also disclosed. Additionally, mitochondrial biogenesis inhibitors may be used as anti-cancer agents for diverse oncogenic stimuli, including for example, c-MYC and H-Ras oncogenes, as well as environmental stimuli such as, for example rotenone.

Anti-mitochondrial inhibitors for oncogenic Ras and Myc

Derivatives of mDIVI-1 may be used to target and eliminate cancer stem cells. Disruption in the mitochondrial dynamics balance plays a role in cancer. Proteins involved in regulating mitochondrial dynamics represent potential targets for cancer treatment. Mitochondrial fission protein DRP1 is such a target. Derivatives of mDIVI-1 inhibit DRP1, and have demonstrated inhibition of tumorsphere forming capacity, migration and stemness-related signaling in breast cancer cells. These properties result from induction of mitochondrial oxidative stress and reduction of mitochondrial metabolism in the target cancer cells. The potency of an mDIVI-1 derivative may be dramatically increased through addition of at least one membrane-targeting signal and/or a mitochondria-targeting signal.

Targeting mitochondrial fission through mDIVI-1 derivatives

The present disclosure relates to inhibitors of mitochondrial function. Methods of screening compounds for mitochondrial inhibition are disclosed. Also described are methods of using mitochondrial inhibitors called mitoriboscins&#x2014;mitochondrial-based therapeutic compounds having anti-cancer and antibiotic properties&#x2014;to prevent or treat cancer, bacterial infections, and pathogenic yeast, as well as methods of using mitochondrial inhibitors to provide anti-aging benefits. Specific mitoriboscin compounds and groups of mitoriboscins are also disclosed.

Mitoriboscins: mitochondrial-based therapeutics targeting cancer cells, bacteria and pathogenic yeast

The present disclosure relates to compounds that bind to flavin-containing enzymes and inhibit mitochondrial function, referred to herein as mitoflavoscins. Methods of screening compounds for mitochondrial inhibition and anti-cancer properties are disclosed. Also described are methods of using mitoflavoscins to prevent or treat cancer, bacterial infections, and pathogenic yeast, as well as methods of using mitoflavoscins to provide anti-aging benefits. Specific mitoflavoscin compounds are also disclosed.

Mitoflavoscins: targeting flavin-containing enzymes eliminates cancer stem cells (CSCS) by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration

A therapeutic compound having intrinsic anti-mitochondrial properties may be chemically modified to target the compound to mitochondria, and the resulting 'repurposcins' may have enhanced anti-cancer properties, among other advantageous properties. For example, a repurposcin may be used to treat and/or prevent tumor recurrence, metastasis, drug resistance, and/or radiotherapy resistance. Described herein are repurposcin compounds and pharmaceutical compositions that have been developed according to the present approach. Also described are methods for identifying and developing repurposcins, methods of using repurposcins to target cancer stem cells, and compositions for treating cancer containing one or more repurposcins as the active ingredient.

Repurposcins: targeted inhibitors of mitochondrial biogenesis for eradicating cancer stem cells

This disclosure describes the characteristics of the 'energetic' cancer stem cell (e-CSC) phenotype. This distinct sub-population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has a unique energetic profile compared to bulk CSCs, being more glycolytic, having higher mitochondrial mass and elevated oxidative metabolism. e-CSCs also show an increased capacity to undergo cell cycle progression, enhanced anchorage-independent growth, and ALDH-positivity. The e-CSC phenotype presents new targets for cancer therapeutics, and in particular the anti-oxidant response, mitochondrial energy production, and mitochondrial biogenesis of e-CSCs makes them highly susceptible to mitochondrial inhibitors that target e-CSC anti-oxidant response, mitochondrial energy production, and mitochondrial biogenesis. Gene products for e-CSCs are disclosed, as well as classes of mitochondrial inhibiting therapeutic agents. Also disclosed are methods for identifying and separating e-CSCs from bulk cell populations.

Growing community of inventors

Fulton, MD, United States of America

Federica Sotgia