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Abstract MAPK pathway activation is a feature of multiple tumor types. Drugging KRAS and BRAF, the two main oncogenic drivers in the MAPK pathway, has proven successful in the clinic. Inhibition of the downstream effectors, MEK and ERK, can also induce tumor regression. Despite this, many tumors are intrinsically resistant to MAPK pathway inhibitors, or acquire resistance under selective pressure to drug treatment. This creates a need for combination treatments to improve clinical responses. A synthetic lethal (SL) interaction between inhibition of the MAPK pathway and blockade of JNK-JUN signaling has recently been described1. Specifically, data from yeast genetics and CRISPR knockout experiments in human cells have identified MAP2K4 as a potential therapeutic target that could be combined with MAPK inhibitors. To date, however, no potent MAP2K4 inhibitors with in vitro and cellular selectivity against key anti-targets have been reported. Here, we describe the development of potent covalent inhibitors of MAP2K4 kinase activity. Biochemical and cell-based assays show that the compound (s) are selective for MAP2K4 versus anti-targets including MAP2K7 and ERK kinases. The combination of MAP2K4 and MEK/ERK inhibitors was effective in cell lines driven by MAPK signaling. These data provide the rationale for further development of MAP2K4 inhibitors to advance our understanding of this novel drug combination. References: 1. Xue Z, Vis DJ, Bruna A, Sustic T, van Wageningen S, Batra AS, et al. MAP3K1 and MAP2K4 mutations are associated with sensitivity to MEK inhibitors in multiple cancer models. Cell Res. 2018; 28: 719-29. Citation Format: Mark Wade, Emiliano Tamanini, Mathieu Unbekandt, Nicola Wallis, John Lyons, Joanne Munck, Andrew Woodhead, Patrick Schopf, Jessie Stow, Charlotte East, Mellissa Clark, Jeffrey St. Denis, Puja Pathuri. Targeting MAPK-driven tumors via inhibition of MAP2K4 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 (6Suppl): Abstract nr 5902.
Wade et al. (Fri,) studied this question.