Discovery of CC-91516, a potent and selective ERK/NLK inhibitor, with anti-tumor activity in preclinical cancer models harboring BRAF or CTNNB1 mutation (AACR 2022)
CC-91516 (also called CC0776314), a selective and potent inhibitor of ERK1/2 and NLK, was discovered via a phenotypic screen of a kinase-focused library for compounds that synergize with mTOR kinase inhibitor CC-223 to induce apoptosis in combination with CC-223...Crystal structure of CC-91516 in complex with ERK2 reveals that its 2, 4, 6-trichlorophenyl moiety binds to a unique back pocket of the adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP) binding site of ERK2, which is not accessible to other ERK inhibitors such as BVD-523 and GDC-0994...In addition, CC-91516 potently induces apoptosis, inhibits survival, and overcomes resistance to MEK inhibitor trametinib of BRAF or CTNNB1 mutant cancer cells in long-term culture assay in vitro...DMPK and toxicology studies showed robust oral exposure across preclinical species. In summary, CC-91516 has demonstrated preclinical anti-tumor activities and DMPK and safety profiles in support of its clinical development.