First-in-human phase I dose escalation study of MK-8033 in patients with advanced solid tumors

Targeting MET: Discovery of Small Molecule Inhibitors as Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Therapy

MET has been considered as a promising drug target for the treatment of MET-dependent diseases, particularly non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Small molecule MET inhibitors with mainly three types of binding modes (Ia/Ib, II, and III) have been developed. In this Review, we provide an overview of the structural features, activation mechanism, and dysregulation pathway of MET and summarize progress on the development and discovery strategies utilized for MET inhibitors as well as mechanisms of acquired resistance to current approved inhibitors. The insights will accelerate discovery of new generation MET inhibitors to overcome clinical acquired resistance.

Advances in Drugs Targeting Lymphangiogenesis for Preventing Tumor Progression and Metastasis

Metastasis of cancer cells from the primary tumor to other organs and tissues in the body is the leading cause of death in patients with malignancies. One of the principal ways cancer cells travel is through lymphatic vessels, and tumor invasion into the regional lymph nodes is a hallmark of early metastasis; thus, the formation of especially peritumoral lymphatic vessels is essential for tumor transportation that gives rise to further progression. In the past few decades, tumor-induced lymphangiogenesis has been testified to its tight correlation with lymphatic metastasis and poor clinical outcomes in multiple types of human malignancies, which warrants novel potential therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. As the understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms has grown tremendously over the years, an inexorable march of anti-lymphangiogenic therapy also aroused terrific interest. As a result, a great number of drugs have entered clinical trials, and some of them exhibited predominant contributions in cancer management. Herein, this review provides an updated summary of the current advances in therapies preventing lymphatic metastasis and discusses the validity of different applications.

Discovery of 4-((4-(4-(3-(2-(2,6-difluorophenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)ureido)-2-fluorophenoxy)-6-methoxyquinolin-7-yl)oxy)-N,N-diethylpiperidine-1-carboxamide as kinase inhibitor for the treatment of colorectal cancer

In this study, a novel series of 4,6,7-trisubstituted quinoline analogues bearing thiazolidinones were designed and synthesized based on our previous study. Among them, the most potent compound 15i, 4-((4-(4-(3-(2-(2,6-difluorophenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)ureido)-2-fluorophenoxy)-6-methoxyquinolin-7-yl)oxy)-N,N-diethylpiperidine-1-carboxamide was identified as a multi-kinase inhibitor. The results of MTT assay revealed in vitro antitumor activities against HT-29 cells of compound 15i with an IC₅₀ value of 0.19 μM which was 14.5-fold more potent than that of Regorafenib. In the cellular context, significant antiproliferation, cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis on HT-29 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner were confirmed by IncuCyte live-cell imaging assays. Moreover, compound 15i strongly induced apoptosis by arresting cell cycle into the G2/M phase. No antiproliferation and cytotoxicity against human normal colorectal mucosa epithelial cell FHC was observed at 10.0 μg/mL or lower concentrations which indicated that the toxicity to normal cells of compound 15i was much lower than that of Regorafenib. Based on the above findings, further structural modification will be conducted for the development of more potent kinase inhibitors as anticancer agents.