Abstract 6388: Exploiting CTPS1 dependency for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer
Authors: Xiyin Wang, Michael Emch, Lauren Voll, Rebecca Epp, Esther Rodman, Noa Odell, Nicole Pearson, Xiaonan Hou, Matthew Goetz, Scott Kaufmann, John Weroha, Philip Beer, John Hawse
Journal: Cancer Research (2025)

Breast and ovarian cancer represent the most common and lethal cancers in women. Despite chemotherapy and targeted agents, recurrence is frequent and outcomes for patients with advanced disease are dismal, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic strategies. Using an unbiased approach with DepMap CRISPR screens across more than 1000 cancer cell lines, we identified six genes (CTPS1, RHOA, PRKRA, RAD9A, HUS1, and RAD1) that were essential for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, but not ERα+ breast cancer cells, that were also associated with poor outcomes. Validation of these effects by siRNA knockdown studies revealed that suppression of CTPS1 elicited the most potent inhibitory effects, characterized by S phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Similar effects were also found in ovarian cancer cells which share many molecular features. CTPS1, along with CTPS2, is responsible for enzymatic conversion of UTP to CTP, an essential nucleoside triphosphate required for multiple cellular processes including DNA/RNA synthesis, phospholipid synthesis and glycosylation. CTPS1 was found to be highly expressed in tumor tissues, for both breast and ovarian cancer. RT-PCR assessment of CTPS1 expression in a panel of over 40 breast and ovarian cancer lines confirmed variable, but elevated expression relative to normal models. Notably, chemotherapy-resistant and PARP inhibitor (PARPi)-resistant models exhibited the highest levels of CTPS1 expression among all cells analyzed. In partnership with Step Pharma, which has developed a first-in-class highly selective CTPS1 inhibitor (STP938), we have demonstrated that STP938 elicits potent anti-proliferative effects at nM concentrations across many cell line and patient derived models, both in 2D and 3D culture systems. Furthermore, STP938 exhibited strong anti-cancer activity in chemotherapy- and PARPi-resistant ovarian cancer models, both as a monotherapy and in combination with standard-of-care treatments. RNA-seq analysis in cell models following STP938 treatment or CTPS1 knockdown/knockout showed significant dysregulation of DNA replication and cell cycle related genes, suggesting potential synergy with drugs targeting replication stress or DNA damage response pathways. Single-cell sequencing further revealed specific cell-cell interactions/cross talk/pathways that are disrupted by STP938 in vivo using ovarian cancer patient-derived xenograft. The first-in-human clinical trial for STP938 began in 2022 for relapsed/refractory B- and T-cell lymphomas (NCT05463263). In August 2024, a second phase I trial opened for advanced solid tumors, including an expansion cohort for CTPS2-null ovarian cancer (NCT06297525) at Mayo Clinic. These laboratory discoveries, and ongoing clinical studies, are expected to pave the way for a broader uptake of this novel therapeutic approach aimed at improving outcomes in patients with highly aggressive forms of these diseases. Citation Format: Xiyin Wang, Michael Emch, Lauren Voll, Rebecca Epp, Esther Rodman, Noa Odell, Nicole Pearson, Xiaonan Hou, Matthew Goetz, Scott Kaufmann, John Weroha, Philip Beer, John Hawse. Exploiting CTPS1 dependency for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 6388.