Abstract 1979: Preclinical characterization of NVL-330, a selective and brain penetrant HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor with broad activity on HER2 oncogenic alterations
Authors: Sun Yuting , Andrews Kristin L. , Tangpeerachaikul Anupong , Nguyen Tuan M. , Gerard Baudouin , Kohl Nancy E. , Horan Joshua C. , Pelish Henry E. 
Published: March 2024

Background: Oncogenic mutations and gene amplifications in the HER2 receptor tyrosine kinase are detected in approximately 2 - 4% and 1 - 5%, respectively, of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) in the US. Exon 20 insertion mutations (exon20ins) are the predominant HER2 mutations in NSCLC, and ~50% of HER2-mutant metastatic NSCLC patients develop brain metastases. The antibody drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) has received FDA accelerated approval for HER2-mutant NSCLC, but currently there are no approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for this indication. NVL-330 is a novel, brain-penetrant, HER2-selective TKI, designed to address the combined medical need of treating HER2-mutant tumors, avoiding treatment related adverse events due to off-target inhibition of wild-type EGFR, and treating brain metastases. Here we characterized the preclinical pharmacological profile of NVL-330 in comparison to other investigational HER2-targeting TKIs and T-DXd.

Methods: TKIs were profiled in cellular phospho-HER2, phospho-EGFR, and viability assays. In vivo antitumor studies were performed in nude mice with HER2-altered subcutaneous or intracranial tumors. T-DXd concentration was measured in an ELISA assay. The unbound brain-to-plasma partitioning ratio (Κp,uu) was determined at one hour after oral 10 mg/kg dosing in Wistar Han rats.

Results: NVL-330 broadly inhibited HER2 oncogenic alterations, including amplified wild-type HER2, HER2 exon20ins and non-exon20ins mutants, with potency and selectivity over wild-type EGFR comparable to investigational HER2-selective TKI zongertinib. By contrast, NVL-330 had a higher Kp,uu than zongertinib in rats. In a patient-derived xenograft model harboring HER2 exon20ins, treatment with NVL-330 suppressed phospho-HER2 and downstream signaling, increased total HER2 and caused dose-dependent tumor regression at well tolerated doses. In the HER2amp NCI-N87 subcutaneous xenograft model, oral administration of 30 mg/kg NVL-330 twice per day induced tumor regression, similar to that achieved by intravenous administration of 10 mg/kg T-DXd once every three weeks, a human-relevant dose in mice. By comparison, in the intracranial setting with the same tumor model and dosing regimens, NVL-330 induced tumor regression, whereas T-DXd provided tumor stasis. Pharmacokinetic analysis in these intracranial tumor bearing mice indicated that NVL-330 had significantly higher brain penetrance than T-DXd.

Conclusions: NVL-330 was broadly and selectively active against HER2 oncogenic alterations in vitro and in vivo, and demonstrated brain penetrance in rodents exceeding that of HER2 investigational TKI zongertinib and T-DXd. This preclinical profile supports the potential for NVL-330 to address a medical need for patients with HER2-driven cancers, including those with brain metastases.

Citation Format: Yuting Sun, Kristin L. Andrews, Anupong Tangpeerachaikul, Tuan M. Nguyen, Baudouin Gerard, Nancy E. Kohl, Joshua C. Horan, Henry E. Pelish. Preclinical characterization of NVL-330, a selective and brain penetrant HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor with broad activity on HER2 oncogenic alterations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1979.