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DIPG Harbors Alterations Targetable by MEK Inhibitors, with Acquired Resistance Mechanisms Overcome by Combinatorial Inhibition

Izquierdo, Elisa; Carvalho, Diana M; Mackay, Alan; Temelso, Sara; Boult, Jessica KR; Pericoli, Giulia; Fernandez, Elisabet; ... Jones, Chris; + view all (2022) DIPG Harbors Alterations Targetable by MEK Inhibitors, with Acquired Resistance Mechanisms Overcome by Combinatorial Inhibition. Cancer Discovery , 12 (3) pp. 712-729. 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-0930. Green open access

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Abstract

The survival of children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains dismal, with new treatments desperately needed. In a prospective biopsy-stratified clinical trial, we combined detailed molecular profiling and drug screening in newly established patient-derived models in vitro and in vivo. We identified in vitro sensitivity to MEK inhibitors in DIPGs harboring MAPK pathway alterations, but treatment of patient-derived xenograft models and a patient at relapse failed to elicit a significant response. We generated trametinib-resistant clones in a BRAFG469V model through continuous drug exposure and identified acquired mutations in MEK1/2 with sustained pathway upregulation. These cells showed hallmarks of mesenchymal transition and expression signatures over-lapping with inherently trametinib-insensitive patient-derived cells, predicting sensitivity to dasatinib. Combined trametinib and dasatinib showed highly synergistic effects in vitro and on ex vivo brain slices. We highlight the MAPK pathway as a therapeutic target in DIPG and show the importance of parallel resistance modeling and combinatorial treatments for meaningful clinical translation. SIGNIFICANCE: We report alterations in the MAPK pathway in DIPGs to confer initial sensitivity to targeted MEK inhibition. We further identify for the first time the mechanism of resistance to single-agent targeted therapy in these tumors and suggest a novel combinatorial treatment strategy to overcome it in the clinic.

Type: Article
Title: DIPG Harbors Alterations Targetable by MEK Inhibitors, with Acquired Resistance Mechanisms Overcome by Combinatorial Inhibition
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-0930
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-0930
Language: English
Additional information: ©2021 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Developmental Biology and Cancer Dept
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10153423
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