Targeting 5-lipoxygenase in the context of acute myeloid leukemia
Drug efficacy is cornerstone for successful drug discovery programs. Considering that, on average, FDA-approved drugs modulate dozens of off-targets it remains imperative to find strategies to overcome adverse drug reactions correlated with pernicious polypharmacology. In fact, several chemical entities displaying promising anticancer are discontinued from drug development pipelines due to narrow therapeutic windows in pre-clinical models. Here, we propose the development of antibody-drug conjugates exploring the unique bioactivity profile of the naphthoquinone natural product-lapachone (Lp) against acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an unmet medical need. Using a machine learning method, we disclosed Lp as an allosteric modulator of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), correlated its anticancer activity with 5-LO expression in blood cancers and showed its efficacy in a disseminated mouse model of AML.

In this project, a comprehensive investigation of novel means for the targeted delivery of Lp to leukaemia cells is sought after, considering both the promising bioactivity profile but also the significant toxicity in untargeted dosage forms. We apply state-of-the-art synthetic medicinal chemistry to design and access cleavable linkers, and site-specifically conjugate Lp to an anti-IL7R antibody, a validated biomarker in AML and other leukaemia’s. We aim at employing biophysical and chemical biology approaches to validate quantitative and fast release of Lp with accurate spatiotemporal control in in vitro disease models. Finally, we will validate the deployment of the constructs through preclinical in vivo models of AML. We foresee broad applicability of the developed technology, which may have profound implications in drug discovery. Upon successful completion of this research program, we hope to yield a new targeted drug to treat AML patients with improved efficacy and reduced side-effects.