Novel oral mTORC1/2 inhibitor TAK-228 has synergistic antitumor effects when combined with paclitaxel or PI3Kα inhibitor TAK-117 in preclinical bladder cancer models

Hernández Prat, Anna, 1984-; Rodriguez-Vida, Alejo; Juanpere, Nuria; Arpí Llucià, Oriol; Menéndez, Silvia; Soria-Jiménez, Luis; Martínez, Alejandro; Iarchouk, Natalia; Rojo, Federico; Albanell Mestres, Joan; Brake, Rachael; Rovira Guerín, Ana; Bellmunt Molins, Joaquim, 1959-

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-18-0923

Novel oral mTORC1/2 inhibitor TAK-228 has synergistic antitumor effects when combined with paclitaxel or PI3Kα inhibitor TAK-117 in preclinical bladder cancer models

Citation

Hernández-Prat A, Rodriguez-Vida A, Juanpere-Rodero N, Arpi O, Menéndez S, Soria-Jiménez L et al. Novel oral mTORC1/2 inhibitor TAK-228 has synergistic antitumor effects when combined with paclitaxel or PI3Kα inhibitor TAK-117 in preclinical bladder cancer models. Mol Cancer Res. 2019 Sep;17(9):1931-44. DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-18-0923

Abstract

Advanced bladder cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is frequently activated in this disease and can be a potential therapeutic target for treatment intervention. We studied the antitumor efficacy of a new targeted therapy, TAK-228 (oral mTORC1/2 inhibitor), in preclinical models of bladder cancer. We evaluated the effects of TAK-228 in combination with a PI3Kα inhibitor (TAK-117) or with chemotherapy (paclitaxel). We used six bladder cancer cell lines and in vivo xenografts models. TAK-228 strongly inhibited cell proliferation in vitro, and reduced tumor growth and angiogenesis in vivo. Three possible biomarkers of response to TAK-228 (basal levels of 4E-BP1, p-4E-BP1/4E-BP1 ratio, or eIF4E/4E-BP1 ratio) were identified. The combination of TAK-228 and TAK-117 had synergistic effects in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, TAK-228 demonstrated greater efficiency when combined with paclitaxel. TAK-228 also showed ex vivo activity in tumor tissue from patients with treatment-naïve bladder cancer. TAK-228 is a promising investigational agent that induces a strong effect on cell proliferation, tumor growth, and angiogenesis in bladder cancer models. High synergistic effects were observed with TAK-228 combined with a PI3K inhibitor or with chemotherapy. These results are currently being investigated in a clinic trial of TAK-228 plus paclitaxel in patients with metastatic bladder cancer (NCT03745911). IMPLICATIONS: Strong synergistic effects were observed when combining TAK-228 with TAK-117 (a PI3Kα inhibitor) or with paclitaxel chemotherapy. A phase II study at our institution is currently evaluating the efficacy of TAK-228 combined with paclitaxel in patients with metastatic bladder cancer.