Statins Enhance the Efficacy of BH3 Mimetics in Multiple Myeloma

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a disease of malignant plasma cells for which if left untreated, patients face a 6 month median survival (Osgood, 1960). New agents and combinations continue to improve MM outcomes, extending the median survival to 5 years; however, patients will ultimately succumb to the disease after exhausting treatment options (Fonseca et al., 2017). A novel class of drugs, BH3 mimetics, specifically inhibit the gatekeepers of apoptosis known as pro-survival BCL2 family members BCL2, MCL1 and BCL-xL (Figure 1A). BCL-2 selective BH3 mimetic, venetoclax (ABT-199), has shown promise in a subset of MM patients; however, combinations are required to improve the depth of response. (Moreau et al., 2017)Our lab is pioneering the novel combination of apoptosis-promoting BH3 mimetics with the cancer-killing effect of statins in blood cancers (Lee et al., 2018). Statins are FDA-approved for their ability to lower cholesterol by blocking the synthesis of a key precursor: mevalonate, a major biosynthetic substrate (Figure 1B). Inhibition of the mevalonate pathway by statins stops the synthesis of intermediates necessary for small GTPase function, providing an attractive avenue for targeting these "undruggable" oncogenes (Berndt, Hamilton, & Sebti, 2011; ten Klooster & Hordijk, 2007). Though this potential has been long recognized, previous work on repurposing statins reported effective concentrations that are well above the plasma levels typically achieved in patients ...
Source: Blood - Category: Hematology Authors: Tags: 653. Myeloma: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster I Source Type: research