Abstract 6387: Therapeutic targeting of lipid oxidation and apoptosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths with more than 56,000 new cases estimated to be diagnosed in 2019. Current treatment options for PDAC include radiation and chemotherapeutic regimens, however these targeted therapies are ineffective for patients with advanced disease progression. Additionally, the dense stromal nature of PDAC tumors create challenges to target the cancer cells resulting in incomplete cell killing and eventual drug resistance. Recent evidence has shown that CPT1A, an enzyme that regulates the entry of lipids into mitochondria for β-oxidation, is strongly expressed in several cancers. CPT1A is located on the mitochondrial membrane and potentially interacts with BCL-2, an anti-apoptotic protein that promotes tumor maintenance and metastasis. Metabolic stress can activate the anti-apoptotic effects of BCL-2, reprograming metabolism to use fat oxidation for cancer survival. Therefore, a co-inhibition using the selective BCL-2 inhibitor, venetoclax, with agents that inhibit CPT1A and β-oxidation, could be a novel strategy for PDAC. There are few studies considering CPT1A as a therapeutic target for PDAC. Current available drugs to target these pathways include the anti-anginal ranolazine, and CPT1A inhibitors etomoxir and perhexiline. Previous studies have shown that expression of BCL-2 by tumor cells is necessary for BCL-2 inhibitors to be effective. We initially wanted to determine the expression of BCL-2 and CPT1A in PDAC cells utilizing western blot and rtPCR, and to confirm their proximity using a proximity ligation assay (PLA). PDAC cells were then plated in 96 well plates and Cell Titer-Glo assays were performed to determine effective concentrations of single agent venetoclax, etomoxir, and perhexiline. The effects of these drugs in combination were then evaluated using a clonogenic assay, which was analyzed using the ImageJ colony area plugin. PDAC cells were then exposed to the combinations and western blots were performed to evaluate changes downstream effectors. We have confirmed the expression of BCL-2 and CPT1A on the mitochondrial membrane using Westerns, rtPCR, and a PLA on several PDAC lines. Though single agent drugs had little effect on cell viability, the combination of venetoclax with CPT1A and β-oxidation inhibitors decreased colony formation in some PDAC cell lines. Western blot analysis revealed the drug combinations affected the phosphorylation of AKT and 4E-BP1 and expression of the pro-apoptotic protein BID. These data suggest that co-targeting BCL-2 and CPT1A have potential for anti-tumor effects in PDAC. Additional research into the role of CPT1A in PDAC biology will elucidate the optimal dosing concentrations and mechanisms for further studies. Citation Format: Sarah J. Hartman, Nathalie Nadales, Stacey M. Bagby, Betelehem W. Yacob, Brian L. Gittleman, Adriana Estrada-Bernal, Anh T. Le, Christopher H. Lieu, S. Lindsey Davis, Alexis D. Leal, Jennifer R. Diamond, Wells A. Messersmith, Isabel R. Schlaepfer, Todd M. Pitts. Therapeutic targeting of lipid oxidation and apoptosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6387.