Abstract 3867: Combined PI3K and AURKA inhibition are efficacious in triple-negative breast cancer models
Authors: Van Swearingen Amanda E.D. , Sambade Maria J. , Sud Shivani , Golitz Brian , Johnson Gary L. , Anders Carey K. 
Published: July 2016

Introduction: Nearly half of metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients develop brain metastases (BMs) and face a poor prognosis. There are no FDA-approved systemic therapies to treat TNBC BM, due in part to the blood-brain barrier. BCBMs exhibit both activation of the PI3K pathway and AURKA amplification/overexpression relative to primary breast cancers. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of brain-penetrant, clinically-available inhibitors of PI3K and AURKA in TNBC cell lines that are capable of growing in the mouse brain.

Methods: In vitro characterization of the pan-PI3K inhibitor BKM120 and AURKA inhibitor MLN8237 were conducted in 2 human-derived TNBC cell lines, SUM149 and (MDA-MB-)231Br. A siRNA screen (720 kinase genes) was used to identify synthetic enhancers of lethality with BKM120 treatment. To assess the efficacy of these drugs, the IC50s of BKM120 and MLN8237 and synergy of the combination were determined. To compare the effects of BKM120 and/or MLN8237 treatment on cell cycle progression, FACS analysis was conducted at 24, 48, and 72 hours in parent cells and in cells continuously cultured in MLN8237-treated media for 12 weeks.

Results: The screen confirmed that combined PI3K and AURKA inhibition synthetically enhanced lethality in SUM149 and 231Br cells. SUM149 and 231Br cells and two additional TNBC cell lines (MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-436) exhibited similar IC50s (1.3-21 μM) to BKM120. However, there was a &gt;2.5 fold range (26.5-69 μM) in IC50s for MLN8237, with the greatest potency in the 231Br line. Concurrent treatment with BKM120+MLN8237 was synergistic or additive in 231Brs at most doses, whereas the combination was additive to antagonistic in SUM149s. Pretreatment with MLN8237 prior to concurrent BKM120+MLN8237 improved synergy in SUM149s, while BKM120 pretreatment improved synergy in 231Brs.

FACS analysis of BKM120 in the SUM149 and 231Br cells induced a slight G1 arrest from 24 to 72 hours, while MLN8237 initially induced a G2 arrest at 24 hours, polyploidy at 48 hours, and a mixed polypoid/G2 arrested population at 72 hours. These effects were more pronounced in the 231Brs than the SUM149s. Combined BKM120+MLN8237 in both cell lines yielded results similar to MLN8237 alone. Cells continuously exposed to increasing MLN8237 concentrations from 50 nM to 300 nM for 12 weeks were resistant to MLN8237-induced cell cycle changes as compared to passage-matched controls.

Conclusions: Combined PI3K+AURKA inhibition using brain-penetrant compounds is a promising strategy for a patient population with few options. In vivo studies evaluating the efficacy of BKM120+MLN8237 in intracranial TNBC mouse models to provide the translational foundation for future clinical studies are warranted.

Citation Format: Amanda E.D. Van Swearingen, Maria J. Sambade, Shivani Sud, Brian Golitz, Gary L. Johnson, Carey K. Anders. Combined PI3K and AURKA inhibition are efficacious in triple-negative breast cancer models. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3867.