Abstract 2145: High SLFN11 expression correlates with sensitivity to lurbinectedin in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) models
Authors: Gupta Aparna , Vaidya Kedar S. , Melis Janneke J.T.M. , Hauptschein Robert , Brock Graham , Humphreys Robin 
Published: April 2023

Background: Lurbinectedin monotherapy received accelerated FDA approval for adults with metastatic SCLC with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Lurbinectedin binds to GC-rich areas of gene promoters, blocks RNA-polymerase-II and induces degradation via ubiquitin/proteasome machinery. DNA binding of lurbinectedin results in double stranded DNA breaks and DNA damage that leads to cellular apoptosis. Schlafen 11 (SLFN11), a putative DNA/RNA helicase irreversibly binds to DNA replication forks resulting in replication block and is a predictive biomarker of response to therapeutics that elicit DNA damage including cisplatin, topoisomerase I/II inhibitors and PARP inhibitors.

Objective: Evaluate the role of SLFN11 expression in predicting response to lurbinectedin, a DNA damaging agent, in human SCLC cell lines and in vivo models.

Methods: Cytotoxicity assays: SCLC cell lines DMS 53, DMS 114, NCI-H69, NCI-H82, NCI-H196, NCI-H209, NCI-H211, NCI-H446, NCI-H526, NCI-H841, NCI-H889, NCI-H1048, and SHP-77 were tested with lurbinectedin dose range from 100 nM to 0.01 nM. Cell viability was determined by measuring intracellular ATP to determine percent cellular viability and IC50 of lurbinectedin. SLFN11 expression of 13 SCLC cell lines were retrieved as RNAseq values from the DepMap database. RNAseq value &gt;2 was assigned as SLFN11 high, values &lt;2 assigned as low. Western blot analysis was used to confirm protein expression. The difference in 10log IC50 between SLFN11 high and low lines is determined using Mann-Whitney test. In vivo efficacy studies: High SLFN11 (NCI-H1048) and low SLFN11 (NCI-H889 and NCI-H69) SCLC cell lines were used for xenograft studies in BALB/c nude mice. Mice were randomly allocated to 4 groups (n=8) as tumors reached a volume of 100 - 150 mm3. Groups received either vehicle or lurbinectedin at doses of 0.06, 0.12 or 0.18 mg/kg IV, QWx 3 weeks. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess SLFN11 protein expression on xenograft tissue.

Results and Conclusions: Cell viability assays in 13 SCLC models confirm high SLFN11 expressing cell lines are 4-fold more sensitive to lurbinectedin compared to low SLFN11 expressing cell lines (ΔpIC50 = 0.64; p = 0.0451). The in vivo efficacy data confirms that the SLFN11 high NCI-H1048 model is more responsive with 90% TGI compared to 35% observed in SLFN11 low models (NCI-H889 and NCI-H69) at the highest lurbinectedin dose (p-value = 0.006). Efficacy data confirms correlation to SLFN11 protein expression, consistent with the RNA level association. Both in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo efficacy studies in SCLC models confirm that high SLFN11 expression predicts response to lurbinectedin. Cell viability studies demonstrate that a limited set of SLFN11 low expressing cell lines are sensitive to lurbinectedin, suggesting a role for other genes. Proteomics and genomics work is underway to define additional response biomarkers

Citation Format: Aparna Gupta, Kedar S. Vaidya, Janneke J.T.M. Melis, Robert Hauptschein, Graham Brock, Robin Humphreys. High SLFN11 expression correlates with sensitivity to lurbinectedin in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 2145.