1. Academic Validation
  2. Discovery of Novel, Potent, and Orally Bioavailable SMARCA2 Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras with Synergistic Antitumor Activity in Combination with Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homologue G12C Inhibitors

Discovery of Novel, Potent, and Orally Bioavailable SMARCA2 Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras with Synergistic Antitumor Activity in Combination with Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homologue G12C Inhibitors

  • J Med Chem. 2025 May 8;68(9):9202-9219. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c02577.
Sasikumar Kotagiri 1 Yawen Wang 1 Yanyan Han 1 Xiaobing Liang 1 Nicholas Blazanin 1 Hira Mazhar 1 Manu Sebastian 2 Phuong Kieu Nguyen 3 Yongying Jiang 3 Yonathan Lissanu 1 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United states.
  • 2 Deptartment of Veterinary Medicine & Surgery and Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United states.
  • 3 Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77054, United states.
  • 4 Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United states.
Abstract

Cancer genomic studies have identified frequent mutations in subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, including SMARCA4 in nonsmall cell lung Cancer with a frequency of up to 33% in advanced-stage disease, making it the most frequently mutated complex. We and Others have identified SMARCA2 to be synthetic lethal to SMARCA4, indicating that SMARCA2 is a high-value therapeutic target. Here, we disclose the discovery and characterization of potent, selective, and orally bioavailable cereblon-based SMARCA2 PROTACs. Biochemically, we showed that YDR1 and YD54 are potent SMARCA2 degraders. Further, we showed the antitumor growth inhibitory activity of YDR1 and YD54 in SMARCA4 mutant xenografts. Finally, we show that YDR1 and YD54 synergize with the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib to inhibit the growth of SMARCA4 and KRAS G12C comutant lung Cancer cells. These findings provide evidence for the utility of single agent or combination regimens containing SMARCA2 PROTACs as synthetic lethal therapeutics against SMARCA4 mutant cancers.

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