Abstract B011: Synergistic activity of tazemetostat in combination with androgen signaling inhibitors in preclinical models of prostate cancer demonstrates potential for clinical expansion
Authors: Motwani Vinny , Brach Dorothy , Pantano Chloe , Estanek Vania , Keats Jeffrey A. , Dransfield Daniel T. , Raimondi Alejandra 
Published: March 2020

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. Current available treatments include chemical castration and therapies targeting androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathways. Although initial responses are observed, 30% of patients have primary resistance to both forms of treatment and the majority of patients progress from androgen-dependent PCa (ADPC) to castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). Studies on mechanisms of resistance suggest that AR signaling remains a key driver in PCa even after treatment with AR-targeted therapies. Co-treatment with therapies that modulate alternative signaling pathways involved in oncogenesis in PCa including epigenetic modifiers, have been proposed as a modality to overcome resistance. Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) is the enzymatic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 and is one of the most highly upregulated genes in CRPC compared to localized PCa. Several reports suggest that EZH2 plays an oncogenic role both in ADPC and CRPC.Tazemetostat is a potent, selective, orally bioavailable, investigative first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of EZH2. Phase 2 clinical trials have demonstrated objective clinical responses in patients with B-cell lymphomas and molecularly defined solid tumors, including epithelioid sarcoma and other INI1-negative tumors. Given the implication of EZH2 in PCa, we explored the combination potential of tazemetostat with current second-line therapies, the androgen signaling inhibitors (ASIs) abiraterone and enzalutamide. Tazemetostat displayed both time- and dose-dependent antiproliferative activity in PCa cell lines dependent on AR signaling or those of the neuroendocrine subtype with IC50 values at or below 1 μM in 14-day assays. Synergistic activity was observed in vitro in a subset of cell lines when tazemetostast was combined with ASIs in a 7-day co-treatment model and this activity was further enhanced when cells were pretreated with tazemetostat prior to the cotreatment. To further validate these findings, we conducted in vivo studies in PCa cell line-derived xenograft models. Tazemetostat and enzalutamide showed single agent antitumor activity in a subcutaneous LNCaP xenograft mouse model. Co-administration of enzalutamide and tazemetostat markedly reduced tumor growth rate compared to either of the single agent(s). Similar results were observed with the combination of tazemetostat and abiraterone. Interestingly in the 22Rv1-derived in vivo xenograft model, a cell line that expresses AR-V7, a splice variant implicated in resistance to ASIs in CRPC, modest tumor growth inhibition was observed with tazemetostat and no significant antitumor activity was observed when given in combination with abiraterone or enzalutamide. A significant decrease in intratumoral H3K27me3 levels were observed in all treatment groups containing tazemetostat in both in vivo models, indicating an on-target activity of EZH2 inhibition. Current efforts are underway to investigate the mechanism of action and cellular inhibitory pathways for these combinations. In summary, our preclinical data demonstrates the importance of EZH2 inhibition in CRPC and provides a rationale for combination of tazemetostat with abiraterone and enzalutamide in the clinic.

Citation Format: Vinny Motwani, Dorothy Brach, Chloe Pantano, Vania Estanek, Jeffrey A. Keats, Daniel T. Dransfield, Alejandra Raimondi. Synergistic activity of tazemetostat in combination with androgen signaling inhibitors in preclinical models of prostate cancer demonstrates potential for clinical expansion [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B011. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-B011