Abstract 7151: Targeting metabolic pathway in triple negative breast cancer with a small molecule inhibitor

Abstract Background: Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive type of breast cancer, making up 15-20% of diagnosed cases, and has high rates of metastasis and recurrence. Most women with this disease experience a recurrence after curative-intent therapy for early breast cancer, while a smaller proportions are diagnosed with distant metastases initially. Cancer cells are characterized by their reprogramming of glucose metabolism. Cancer cells show increased proliferation along with higher energy and substrate demands. Through our efforts to find effective therapies for TNBC, we have identified CET019, a new small molecule that effectively suppresses the growth of breast cancer cells. Methods: Cell viability and clonogenic assays were performed on a range of TNBC cells, including MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, SUM159, HCC1395, HCC1806, EMT6, and 4T1. Cell cycle distribution was assessed through flow cytometry. LC-MS/MS analysis was performed on TMT-labeled samples for global proteome profiling. The efficacy of CET019 (30 mg/kg) was tested using tumor and patient derived xenograft studies. Results: Our studies show that CET019 suppresses the clonogenic potential and growth of various triple-negative breast cancer cells. The CET019 treatment causes cell cycle arrest in TNBC cells at the G2/M phase. Proteomics analysis suggests that CET019 specifically affects metabolic and proteosomal pathways. In vivo studies with CET019 found an inhibition of tumor growth kinetics in the mouse xenograft study with different TNBC models, as compared to the control group. We also observed that CET019 inhibited metastatic lung nodules. The results were further substantiated in three Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) models. Conclusion: In summary, our study has identified a novel small molecule candidate CET019 as a promising lead candidate for TNBC treatment, paving the way for further development.“The complete chemical structures of the compounds used will be disclosed at the time of presentation at the meeting.” Citation Format: Arpit Dheeraj, Fernando Jose Marques, Dhanir Tailor, Abel Bermudez, Benedikt Grau, Sharon Pitteri, Sanjay V. Malhotra. Targeting metabolic pathway in triple negative breast cancer with a small molecule inhibitor [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 7151.