The ISR/UPR is a targetable vulnerability in cancers with high basal levels of ER stress. DP-9024 increases UPR signaling via activating PERK dimerization. This novel mechanism leads to antitumoral effects in B-cell cancers in vitro and in vivo likely through the induction of unresolved ER stress, which may potentially provide an alternative mechanism to current UPR targeting therapies.
Paradoxical stimulation of the ISR family member kinase PERK, through direct binding and dimerization by DP-9024, led to unresolved ER stress that can potentially be leveraged as a novel mechanism to induce growth arrest in UPR vulnerable cancers, including myelomas and B-cell lymphomas.