Lunella Biotech, Inc.

Federica Sotgia

Michael P Lisanti

Jussi Kangasmetsa

Luma G Magalhães

Marco Fiorillo

This disclosure describes selective and potent CDK 4/6 inhibitors that show advantageous inhibition of cancer growth, even at low concentrations. This class of anti-cancer CDK 4/6 inhibitors are substituted pyrrolopyrimidine compounds of formula IA, having a fatty acid moiety. These compounds may be used as pharmaceutical compounds for anti-cancer therapies, and are useful for the treatment, prevention and/or amelioration of cancer.

Substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as selective CDK 4/6 inhibitors

The disclosure describes selective and potent CDK 4/6 inhibitors that show advantageous inhibition of cancer growth, even at low concentrations. A class of the CDK 4/6 inhibitors relates to substituted pyridopyrimidines compounds having a fatty acid moiety, and are namely derivatives of Palbociclib of general formula [2A], wherein Ris hydrogen, aryl, alkyl, alkoxy, cycloalkyl, or heterocyclyl; Ris hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, acyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, alkoxy alkyl, haloalkyl, hydroxy alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, nitrile, or nitro; Ris hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, haloalkyl, hydroxy alkyl, or cycloalkyl; and n is an integer from 9 to 20. These compounds may be used as pharmaceutical compounds for anti-cancer therapies, and are useful for the treatment, prevention and/or amelioration of cancer.

Selective CDK 4/6 inhibitor cancer therapeutics

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 derivtives as senolytic drugs

Cancer cells can develop resistance to endocrine therapies, such as Tamoxifen, through acquisition of the Y537S mutation. Cells transfected with the Y537S mutation showed significant increases in mitochondrial mass and membrane potential, consistent with an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis. Certain biomarkers are identified that have prognostic value of endocrine therapy resistance. The mechanism resulting in this resistance, however, leaves these treatment-resistant cells vulnerable to therapeutics that inhibit mitochondrial biogenesis. Numerous mitochondrial biogenesis inhibitors are disclosed, as well as methods for reducing or eliminating endocrine treatment resistance, improving the effectiveness of an endocrine therapy, and for treating cancer.

Biomarkers and therapeutics for endocrine therapy resistance

This disclosure describes embodiments of selective and potent CDK 4/6 inhibitors that show advantageous inhibition of cancer growth, even at low concentrations. As described herein, compounds of the present approach comprise substituted pyridinylpiperazine-pyrrolopyrimidine compounds having a fatty acid moiety. The compounds described herein may be used as pharmaceutical compounds for anti-cancer therapies, and are useful for the treatment, prevention and/or amelioration of cancer. Formula (a)

Selective CDK4/6 inhibitor cancer therapeutics

Tri-phenyl-phosphonium (TPP) is a non-toxic chemical moiety that functionally behaves as a mitochondrial targeting signaling in living cells. TPP-related compounds may be utilized to target mitochondria in cancer stem cells (CSC5), and may be used for treating and/or preventing tumor recurrence, metastasis, drug resistance, and/or radiotherapy resistance, as well as for anticancer therapies. Various TPP-related compounds validated for oxygen consumption inhibition (OCR), were non-toxic, and had little or no effect on ATP production in normal human fibroblasts. Yet these compounds selectively target adherent 'bulk' cancer cells. These compounds also inhibit the propagation of CSCs in suspension. TPP-related compounds provide a novel chemical strategy for effectively targeting both i) 'bulk' cancer cells and ii) CSCs, while specifically minimizing or avoiding off-target side-effects in normal cells, among other useful therapies.

Growing community of inventors

Manchester, United Kingdom

Federica Sotgia