These compounds incorporated the natural product CGA as the target-binding ligand, conjugated to pomalidomide (an E3 ligase-recruiting moiety) via various synthetic linkers. This study successfully applied an effective strategy for target identification and medication discovery of natural compounds. In addition, CGA-PROTAC A7 was synthesized in one step with an overall yield of 45.96%, providing a feasible route for synthesis and establishing a basis for the combination of natural product polyphenols with PROTAC technology.

Post-ASCT2 maintenance, particularly with lenalidomide or carfilzomib-based regimens, significantly prolonged disease control in randomized and real-world studies. In the modern treatment landscape, second or salvage autologous transplantation remains a valid, safe, and effective strategy for carefully selected patients with relapsed multiple myeloma, particularly those with chemosensitive disease and prolonged initial remissions. ASCT2 should be integrated in a risk-adapted manner alongside maintenance therapy and emerging immunotherapies, serving as a durable consolidation or bridging approach rather than routine therapy for all relapsed patients.

Co-treatment of BoHV-1 with either bortezomib or lenalidomide increased anti-MM cytotoxicity. Finally, BoHV-1 upregulated CD38 on both MM cells and immune effectors, thereby increasing sensitivity to the anti-CD38 daratumumab. These findings establish BoHV-1 as a promising immunovirotherapy agent, effective as a single agent and in combination strategies, by coupling direct oncolysis with broad immune remodeling of the BM microenvironment.

The brain-penetrant drug ibudilast, which prevents the binding of MIF to CD74, decreased brain metastasis in experimental models in vivo and in patient-derived organotypic cultures ex vivo in a primary tumor-agnostic manner. These findings suggest that MIF/CD74-induced reprogramming of myeloid cells in brain disorders is a vulnerability that could be exploited therapeutically against brain metastases, and possibly other brain disorders.

Immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs) like lenalidomide and pomalidomide are effective in treating multiple myeloma (MM) but pose hematotoxicity risks by degrading neosubstrates Ikaros (IKZF1) and Aiolos (IKZF3). Moreover, we have identified a CRBN ligand that mitigates these safety liabilities and can be effectively incorporated into PROTACs. This advancement provides a promising path toward safer preclinical development of PROTACs, especially as the field expands into chronic disease treatments beyond oncology.

Competitive inhibition experiments using excess MA or lenalidomide, along with MLN4924 treatment, validated the requirement for ternary complex formation and cullin-RING E3 ligase pathway dependence. P4 effectively downregulates the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling axis and simultaneously activates dual apoptotic pathways: intrinsic mitochondrial apoptosis (decreased Bcl-2, XIAP, survivin; increased Bax, cytochrome c, cleaved caspases) and ER stress-mediated apoptosis (elevated IRE1, BIP, ATF4, CHOP, p-JNK1, cleaved caspase-12). This work establishes P4 as a promising JAK2-targeting degrader whose anticancer efficacy derives from coordinated target elimination, oncogenic pathway suppression, and dual apoptotic pathway activation, validating natural product PROTACylation as a viable strategy for developing multifunctional anticancer therapeutics.

P3, N=40, Recruiting, Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA) | Not yet recruiting --> Recruiting

Four LJH685-based PROTACs, composed of pomalidomide (a cereblon E3 ligase ligand) and different lengths of polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers, decreased both total RSK2 and phosphorylated RSK2Ser227 levels in HMCLs...These results emphasize the critical role of linker length in optimizing PROTAC efficacy for targeting RSK2. Future exploration of diverse E3 ligases could enable optimization of PROTAC selectivity.

Subsequent genetic or epigenetic alterations render leukemogenesis independent of ongoing lenalidomide exposure. Altogether, these data define IDH2mt B-ALL as a distinct molecular subtype that is markedly overrepresented after lenalidomide treatment and highlight clonal hematopoiesis as a key contributing factor in the development of LenB-ALL.

These data provide a rationale for the combination of lenalidomide with IL-2 family of cytokines to enhance the effectiveness of NK cells.

P1/2, N=55, Completed, University of Chicago | Active, not recruiting --> Completed