Abstract 4641: Preclinical evaluation of the novel curcumin Analogue AKT-100 demonstrates therapeutic effectiveness in p53-mutated cancer cells
Authors: Kimberly K. Leslie, Jamie L. Padilla, Geneva L. Williams, Hua-Ying Fan, Cristian G. Bologa, Eric R. Prossnitz, Jun-Yong Choe, Lane E. Smith, Alexander Goss, Robert J. Lake, Avinash D. Sahu
Journal: Cancer Research (2024)

Abstract Among the myriad of molecular alterations associated with cancer, loss of the normal tumor suppressive functions of p53, the “guardian of the genome,” is the most consistent. Thus, the possibility of targeting oncogenic, mutant p53 proteins has long been a therapeutic goal. However, that aspiration has not been fully realized, leaving patients vulnerable to aggressive disease that is resistant to chemotherapy and to targeted agents such as PARP inhibitors and immunotherapy owing to the loss of wild type p53 functionality and the gain of new oncogenic functions when mutant p53 is expressed. An effective therapeutic strategy is urgently needed for p53 mutant cancers, and our team is developing novel analogues of curcumin with the potential to convert mutant p53 to a wild type conformation and restore its tumor suppressive functions. In this study, we investigated the effects of AKT-100, which was developed from the parent molecule and curcumin analogue HO-3867. Effects were compared to another drug believed to reactivate p53 functionality, APR-246, using CyQUANT IC50 cell proliferation assays and bulk and single cell RNA sequencing. Structural analyses are underway investigating the specific sites of interaction of AKT-100 with various mutant forms of p53. Our findings indicate that, first, AKT-100 exhibits impressive cell killing in multiple ovarian and serous endometrial cancer cells at concentrations ranging from 100-300 nM and is synergistic with the PARP inhibitor olaparib. Second, RNA sequencing demonstrates the reactivation of wild type p53 genes associated with normal cell cycle regulation (induction of CDKN1A encoding p21 and GADD45A), apoptosis (induction of PMAIP1 encoding Noxa and DR5 encoding Death Receptor 5), and the inhibition of DNA replication and multiple alternative mechanisms of DNA repair employed by malignant cells. Third, RNA sequencing indicates that AKT-100 acts through both p53-dependent and independent pathways to inhibit cancer cell proliferation. Gene expression is impacted in ways that portend a therapeutic effect as well as highlight potential resistance pathways (e.g. significant induction of PLK5 encoding polo like kinase 5) that can be further targeted to create synthetic lethal drug combinations with AKT-100 chosen specifically to target the various mutant forms of p53. Taken together, these results identify novel curcumin analogues in early development with the potential to improve therapy for p53 mutant cancers. Through this strategy it is also possible to identify and block resistance pathways that are activated by different forms of mutant p53 in response to AKT-100 and to create synthetic lethal precision drug combinations. Citation Format: Kimberly K. Leslie, Jamie L. Padilla, Geneva L. Williams, Hua-Ying Fan, Cristian G. Bologa, Eric R. Prossnitz, Jun-Yong Choe, Lane E. Smith, Alexander Goss, Robert J. Lake, Avinash D. Sahu. Preclinical evaluation of the novel curcumin Analogue AKT-100 demonstrates therapeutic effectiveness in p53-mutated cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4641.