Anti-epidermal growth factor vaccine antibodies increase the antitumor activity of kinase inhibitors in ALK and RET rearranged lung cancer cells

Advanced NSCLC patients harboring EML4-ALK and CCDC6-RET rearrangements derive benefit from treatment with ALK and RET TKIs but not immune checkpoint inhibitors. New immunotherapeutic approaches, such as immunization against growth factors, can be of particular interest for combination treatment in these patients. Here, we investigated the effects of anti-EGF antibodies generated by vaccination (anti-EGF VacAbs), TKIs and combinations in EML4-ALK and CCDC6-RET NSCLC cell lines. We found that EGF and tumor growth factor alpha (TGFα) significantly decreased the antiproliferative activity of the RET inhibitor BLU-667 in CCDC6-RET cells and brigatinib, alectinib and crizotinib in EML4-ALK translocated cells. The addition of anti-EGF VacAbs reversed the effects of EGF and TGFα, potentiated the antitumor effects of the kinase inhibitors and delayed the appearance in vitro of resistant clones. Western blotting demonstrated that the combination of anti-EGF VacAbs with ALK or RET TKIs effective..... READ ARTICLE

Translational Oncology DOI:10.1016/j.tranon.2020.100887

Authors: Jordi Codony-Servat, Silvia García-Roman, Miguel Ángel Molina-Vila, Jordi Bertran-Alamillo, Santiago Viteri, Erik d'Hondt, Rafael Rosell,

Pre-Clinical, group3Kirk SmithSeptember 21, 2021ALK, RET, anti-EGF VacAbs

Kinase-mediated RAS signaling via membraneless cytoplasmic protein granules

Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-mediated activation of downstream effector pathways such as the RAS GTPase/MAP kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade is thought to occur exclusively from lipid membrane compartments in mammalian cells. Here, we uncover a membraneless, protein granule-based subcellular structure that can organize RTK/RAS/MAPK signaling in cancer. Chimeric (fusion) oncoproteins involving certain RTKs including ALK and RET undergo de novo higher-order assembly into membraneless cytoplasmic protein granules that actively signal. These pathogenic biomolecular condensates locally concentrate the RAS activating complex GRB2/SOS1 and activate RAS in a lipid membrane-independent manner. RTK protein granule formation is critical for oncogenic RAS/MAPK signaling output in these cells. We identify a set of protein granule components and establish structural rules that define the formation of membraneless protein granules by RTK oncoproteins. Our findings reveal membraneless, higher-order cytoplasmic protein assembly as a distinct subcellular platform for organizing oncogenic RTK and RAS signaling. READ ARTICLE

Cell DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2021.03.031

Authors: Asmin Tulpule, Juan Guan, Dana S Neel, Hannah R Allegakoen, Yone Phar Lin, David Brown, Yu-Ting Chou, Ann Heslin, Nilanjana Chatterjee, Shriya Perati, Shruti Menon, Tan A Nguyen, Jayanta Debnath, Alejandro D Ramirez, Xiaoyu Shi, Bin Yang, Siyu Feng, Suraj Makhija, Bo Huang, Trever G Bivona

Overcoming TKI resistance in fusion-driven NSCLC: new generation inhibitors and rationale for combination strategies

Targeted therapies lead to acquired resistance through multiple mechanisms. The selective pressure of newer, more potent TKIs results in new resistance mechanisms. Article gives overview of strategies for overcoming resistance to TKIs targeting the common oncogenic gene fusions in NSCLC. READ ARTICLE

Translational Lung Cancer Research DOI: 10.21037/tlcr-2019-cnsclc-06

Authors: Alessandro Russo, Andrés F. Cardona, Christian Caglevic, Paolo Manca, Alejandro Ruiz-Patiño, Oscar Arrieta, Christian Rolfo

Review PaperKirk SmithDecember 9, 2020ALK, RET, acquired resistance, ROS1, NTRK

Beyond EGFR, ALK and ROS1: Current evidence and future perspectives on newly targetable oncogenic drivers in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In the past decade EGFR, ALK and ROS1 TKIs lead to an unprecedented survival improvement of oncogene-addicted NSCLC patients, with better toxicity profile compared to chemotherapy. In recent years the implementation of high-throughput sequencing platforms led to the identification of uncommon molecular alterations in oncogenic drivers, such as BRAF, MET, RET, HER2 and NTRK. Moreover, newly developed drugs have been found to be active against hard to target drivers, such as KRAS. Specific TKIs targeting these genomic alterations are currently in clinical development and showed impressive activity and survival improvement, leading to FDA-accelerated approval for some of them. However, virtually all patients develop resistance to TKIs by on-target or off-target mechanisms. Here we review the clinicopathological features, the emerging targeted therapies and mechanisms of resistance and strategies to overcome them of KRAS, BRAF, MET, RET, HER2 and NTRK-addicted advanced NSCLCs. READ ARTICLE

Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2020.103119

Authors: Giuseppe Lamberti, Elisa Andrini, Monia Sisi, Alessandro RizzoaClaudia Parisi, Alessandro Di Federico, Francesco Gelsomino and Andrea Ardizzoni

Les réarrangements moléculaires : cibles thérapeutiques en cancérologie thoracique Fusion transcripts: Therapeutic targets in thoracic oncology

Five to ten percent of lung adenocarcinoma harbor chromosomal rearrangements affecting the ALK, ROS1, NTRK and RET genes. These rearrangements are associated with the production of fusion transcripts that lead to the synthesis of chimeric proteins with constitutive kinase activity. These abnormal proteins induce an oncogenic dependency that may be targeted by tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In this review, we will summarize the clinical and molecular epidemiology of chromosomal rearrangements affecting ALK, ROS1, NTRK and RET genes. We will describe the mechanisms of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors that have been reported. We will present the molecular techniques that can be used to detect these rearrangements and the strategies set-up by the molecular oncology laboratories to diagnose these genetic alterations. READ ARTICLE

Bulletin du Cancer DOI:10.1016/j.bulcan.2020.05.008

Authors: Audrey Mansuet-Lupo, Simon Garinet, Diane Damotte, Marco Alifano, Hélène Blons, Marie Wislez, Karen Leroy

Review PaperKirk SmithSeptember 1, 2020Rearrangement, Fusion, ALK, ROS1, RET, NTRK

Detection of ALK fusion transcripts in plasma of non-small cell lung cancer patients using a novel RT-PCR based assay

Detection of genomic rearrangements like ALK fusions are of great interest in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as those alterations can be targeted by an increasing number of drugs. To overcome tissue limitations, detection of these alterations from liquid biopsies is an unmet need, despite the development of novel NGS-based tests. To allow the detection of ALK rearrangements from circulating-free RNA (cfRNA) from NSCLC patients, we have evaluated a novel RT-PCR based assay and compared the results to tissue-based testing using immunohistochemistry (IHC) or fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH).The prototype cobas ALK/RET/ROS1 Fusion Panel assay was able to detect ALK fusion transcripts in the plasma of NSCLC patients at baseline as well as at disease progression. Limited sensitivity could be explained by biological factors influencing nucleic acid shedding by tumours, as well as the presence of fusions not covered by the assay. However, the assay demonstrated high specificity. T..... READ ARTICLE

Cancer Research DOI:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2020-5299

Authors: Simon Heeke, Marius Ilié, Maryline Allegra, Audrey Vallée, Carole Salacroup, Virginie Tanga, Véronique Hofman, Jaya Rajamani, Michael Lee, Ellen Ordinario, Marc G. Denis and Paul Hofman

Conference PaperKirk SmithAugust 1, 2020ALK, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, cobas, RET, ROS1

RET, ROS1 and ALK fusions in lung cancer

Through an integrated molecular- and histopathology-based screening system, we performed a screening for fusions of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and c-ros oncogene 1, receptor tyrosine kinase (ROS1) in 1,529 lung cancers and identified 44 ALK-fusion–positive and 13 ROS1-fusion–positive adenocarcinomas, including for unidentified fusion partners for ROS1. In addition, we discovered previously unidentified kinase fusions that may be promising for molecular-targeted therapy, kinesin family member 5B (KIF5B)-ret proto-oncogene (RET) and coiled-coil domain containing 6 (CCDC6)-RET, in 14 adenocarcinomas. A multivariate analysis of 1,116 adenocarcinomas containing these 71 kinase-fusion–positive adenocarcinomas identified four independent factors that are indicators of poor prognosis: age ≥50 years, male sex, high pathological stage and negative kinase-fusion status. READ ARTICLE

Nature Medicine DOI: 10.1038/nm.2658

Authors: Kengo Takeuchi, Manabu Soda, Yuki Togashi, Ritsuro Suzuki, Seiji Sakata, Satoko Hatano, Reimi Asaka, Wakako Hamanaka, Hironori Ninomiya, Hirofumi Uehara, Young Lim Choi, Yukitoshi Satoh, Sakae Okumura, Ken Nakagawa, Hiroyuki Mano, Yuichi Ishikawa

Real-World OutcomesKirk SmithFebruary 12, 2012ROS1, ALK, RET, lung cancer