Abstract 1338: Discovery of novel, potent USP7 inhibitors that upregulate p53 leading to anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells
Authors: Futran Alan , Lu Tao , Amberg-Johnson Katherine , Yang Xiaoxiao , He Saidi , Bell Jeffrey , Boyce Sarah , Dahlgren Markus , Dingley Karen , Fang Liping , Koldsoe Heidi , Konst Zef , Lin Fang-Yu , Pelleltier Robert , Qian Heng , Svensson Mats , Trzoss Michael , Xu Jie , Xu Shuping , Xu Zhaowu , Yapici Engin , Zhang Yan , Xing Li , Suzuki Takao , Huang Xianhai , Xu Jiayi , Wright Hamish , Jensen Kristian , Tang Wayne , Guo Tao , Akinsanya Karen , Madge David 
Published: July 2021

Introduction: Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) is a deubiquitinase that regulates several proteins involved in cell cycle, DNA repair, genomic stability, and epigenetics and has been implicated in cancer progression. A key substrate of USP7 is MDM2, the oncogenic E3 ubiquitin ligase that promotes degradation of the tumor suppressor p53. USP7-mediated stabilization of MDM2 leads to the degradation of p53, preventing cell cycle arrest and the induction of apoptosis and promoting tumor cell growth. In addition to the MDM2-p53 pathway, USP7 regulates a number of other substrates involved in cancer, including PIM2 kinase, MYCN, the DNA methyltransferase DNMT1, and the PTEN tumor suppressor. Consistent with its function promoting oncogenic signaling pathways, genetic and pharmacological inhibition of USP7 has been shown to inhibit growth of a number of tumor cell lines in vitro and in vivo, and this anti-tumor activity is significantly enriched among cells expressing wild type p53. Thus, inhibition of USP7 is a promising therapeutic strategy, especially in cancers carrying wild type p53 that can be reactivated by suppression of MDM2.

Results: We have discovered a new class of potent and selective USP7 inhibitors. These compounds bind to USP7 and prevent deubiquitinase activity in biochemical activity assays with picomolar potency. Our compounds induce accumulation of p53 and exhibit IC50s below 50 nM in cell viability assays in Multiple Myeloma and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) cell lines. In AML cell lines, our USP7 inhibitors strongly synergize with the approved Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax. Unlike MDM2 antagonists currently undergoing clinical trials in AML, these USP7 inhibitors do not lead to a significant increase in MDM2 levels, and our compounds result in a more modest induction of p53, both of which could provide significant safety benefits. We have demonstrated differential sensitivity to MDM2 antagonists and our USP7 inhibitors in select cell lines and show that this effect is dependent upon p53 induction. Our compounds are orally bioavailable with a desirable PK profile in mice and induce p53 in tumor cells in CDX mouse models of Multiple Myeloma.

Conclusions: We have identified novel, potent, orally bioavailable USP7 inhibitors that lead to p53 accumulation and cytotoxicity in cancer cells. We demonstrate mechanistic differences between USP7 and MDM2-p53 antagonists, which may lead to a safety advantage. We observe strong synergy between USP7 inhibitors and an approved treatment. Our lead compounds have favorable drug-like properties, promising mouse PK profiles, and can induce p53 accumulation in mouse CDX tumor models. These data demonstrate the therapeutic potential of our USP7 inhibitors and reveal specific opportunities for their use in the treatment of Multiple Myeloma and AML.

Citation Format: Alan Futran, Tao Lu, Katherine Amberg-Johnson, Xiaoxiao Yang, Saidi He, Jeffrey Bell, Sarah Boyce, Markus Dahlgren, Karen Dingley, Liping Fang, Heidi Koldsoe, Zef Konst, Fang-Yu Lin, Robert Pelleltier, Heng Qian, Mats Svensson, Michael Trzoss, Jie Xu, Shuping Xu, Zhaowu Xu, Engin Yapici, Yan Zhang, Li Xing, Takao Suzuki, Xianhai Huang, Jiayi Xu, Hamish Wright, Kristian Jensen, Wayne Tang, Tao Guo, Karen Akinsanya, David Madge. Discovery of novel, potent USP7 inhibitors that upregulate p53 leading to anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1338.