Oncogenic alterations in the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway drive the growth of a wide spectrum of cancers. While BRAF and MEK inhibitors are efficacious against BRAF-driven cancers, effective targeted therapies are lacking for most cancers driven by other pathway alterations, including non-V600E oncogenic BRAF, RAS GTPase-activating protein (GAP) NF1 (neurofibromin 1) loss and oncogenic KRAS. Here, we show that targeting the SHP2 phosphatase (encoded by PTPN11) with RMC-4550, a small-molecule allosteric inhibitor, is effective in human cancer models bearing RAS-GTP-dependent oncogenic BRAF (for example, class 3 BRAF mutants), NF1 loss or nucleotide-cycling oncogenic RAS (for example, KRAS). SHP2 inhibitor treatment decreases oncogenic RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signalling and cancer growth by disrupting SOS1-mediated RAS-GTP loading. Our findings illuminate a critical function for SHP2 in promoting oncogenic RAS/MAPK pathway activation in cancers with RAS-GTP-dependent oncogenic BRAF, NF1 loss and nucleotide-cycling oncogenic KRAS. SHP2 inhibition is a promising molecular therapeutic strategy for patients with cancers bearing these oncogenic drivers.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) can be used for rapid detection of bacteria proteins in a crude mixture. It can potentially be used as a tool for bacterial identification based on the mass spectral patterns or the appearance of some characteristic mass peaks. However, there are many experimental parameters that can potentially have a strong effect on the observed mass spectra. The objective of this work is to address the mass spectral reproducibility issue. Several experimental parameters that may affect the MALDI spectra are systematically investigated. Results of spectral comparison from two laboratories with different operators and instrumentation are presented. It is demonstrated that minor variations in the sample/matrix preparation procedures for MALDI and in the experimental conditions used for bacterial protein extraction can result in a significant change in the observed spectra, though a number of peaks are conserved in the spectra obtained under different experimental conditions from the same bacterial sample. These conserved peaks may potentially be used as the biomarkers for bacterial identification. It is stressed that this type of investigation on spectral reproducibility should be carried out for different bacterial species in order to identify the mass spectral peaks that are consistently detected regardless of operator and nominal variations in sample preparation approach.

Carfilzomib, an irreversible proteasome inhibitor, has a favorable safety profile and significant antitumor activity in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM). Here we summarize the clinical pharmacokinetics (PK), metabolism, and drug-drug interaction (DDI) profile of carfilzomib. The PK of carfilzomib, infused over 2-10 minutes, was evaluated in patients with solid tumors or MM. Metabolites of carfilzomib were characterized in patient plasma and urine samples. In vitro drug metabolism and DDI studies were conducted in human liver microsomes and hepatocytes. A clinical DDI study was conducted in patients with solid tumors to evaluate the effect of carfilzomib on CYP3A activity. Plasma concentrations of carfilzomib declined rapidly and in a biphasic manner after intravenous administration. The systemic half-life was short and the systemic clearance rate was higher than hepatic blood flow. Carfilzomib was cleared largely extrahepatically via peptidase cleavage and epoxide hydrolysis. Cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism played a minor role, suggesting that coadministration of P450 inhibitors or inducers is unlikely to change its PK profile. Carfilzomib showed direct and time-dependent inhibition of CYP3A in human liver microsome preparations and exposure to carfilzomib resulted in reductions in CYP3A and 1A2 gene expression in cultured human hepatocytes. However, administration of carfilzomib did not affect the PK of midazolam in patients with solid tumors, and there were no safety signals indicative of potential drug interactions. We conclude that the rapid systemic clearance and short half-life of carfilzomib limit clinically significant DDI.

Carfilzomib [(2S)-N-[(S)-1-[(S)-4-methyl-1-[(R)-2-methyloxiran-2-yl]-1-oxopentan-2-ylcarbamoyl]-2-phenylethyl]-2-[(S)-

Carfilzomib administered as a 30-minute IV infusion at 56 mg/m(2) (as single agent or with low-dose dexamethasone) was generally well tolerated and highly active in patients with relapsed and/or refractory MM. These data have provided the basis for the phase III randomized, multicenter trial ENDEAVOR.