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Haematologica 2018 Volume 103(7):1218-1228
Ferrata Storti Foundation
Plasma Cell Disorders
Repurposing tofacitinib as an anti-myeloma therapeutic to reverse growth-promoting effects of the bone marrow microenvironment
Christine Lam,1,2 Ian D. Ferguson,1,2 Margarette C. Mariano,1,2 Yu-Hsiu T. Lin,1,2 Megan Murnane,2,3 Hui Liu,1,2 Geoffrey A. Smith,4 Sandy W. Wong,2,3
Jack Taunton,4 Jun O. Liu,5 Constantine S. Mitsiades,6 Byron C. Hann,2
Blake T. Aftab2,3 and Arun P. Wiita1,2,*
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA; 2Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA; 3Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA; 4Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA; 5Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD and 6Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
ABSTRACT
The myeloma bone marrow microenvironment promotes prolifera- tion of malignant plasma cells and resistance to therapy. Activation of JAK/STAT signaling is thought to be a central component of these microenvironment-induced phenotypes. In a prior drug repurpos- ing screen, we identified tofacitinib, a pan-JAK inhibitor Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for rheumatoid arthritis, as an agent that may reverse the tumor-stimulating effects of bone marrow mes- enchymal stromal cells. Herein, we validated in vitro, in stromal-respon- sive human myeloma cell lines, and in vivo, in orthotopic disseminated xenograft models of myeloma, that tofacitinib showed efficacy in myeloma models. Furthermore, tofacitinib strongly synergized with venetoclax in coculture with bone marrow stromal cells but not in monoculture. Surprisingly, we found that ruxolitinib, an FDA approved agent targeting JAK1 and JAK2, did not lead to the same anti-myeloma effects. Combination with a novel irreversible JAK3-selective inhibitor also did not enhance ruxolitinib effects. Transcriptome analysis and unbiased phosphoproteomics revealed that bone marrow stromal cells stimulate a JAK/STAT-mediated proliferative program in myeloma cells, and tofacitinib reversed the large majority of these pro-growth signals. Taken together, our results suggest that tofacitinib reverses the growth- promoting effects of the tumor microenvironment. As tofacitinib is already FDA approved, these results can be rapidly translated into poten- tial clinical benefits for myeloma patients.
Introduction
Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy in the United States of America and still has no known cure. Years of research have revealed that a major driver of malignant plasma cell proliferation, as well as ther- apeutic resistance, is signaling to the tumor cells from the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment.1-3 Cell types within the BM that influence myeloma cells include mesenchymal stromal cells, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and multiple classes of immune cells.1-3 Overcoming the growth-promoting phenotype of the BM microenvironment is thought to be a promising therapeutic strategy in MM.
One approach to identifying new therapeutic agents for many diseases is drug repurposing. In this context, a large library of drugs, all of which are either Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved, or at the minimum shown to be safe in humans, is screened against the biological system of interest.4,5 The premise behind these screens is that small molecules, initially designed for one indication, may actually have beneficial effects across other diseases. In fact, the use of thalidomide in MM is one of the most impactful examples of successful drug repurposing. If new indications are found for already existing drugs, clinical devel-
Correspondence:
arun.wiita@ucsf.edu
Received: June 12, 2017. Accepted: March 15, 2018. Pre-published: April 5, 2018.
doi:10.3324/haematol.2017.174482
Check the online version for the most updated information on this article, online supplements, and information on authorship & disclosures: www.haematologica.org/content/103/7/1218
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