Oncogenic alterations in the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway, including mutant forms of KRAS, BRAF, and loss of the tumor suppressor and RAS GTPase-activating protein (GAP) NF1, drive the growth of a wide spectrum of human cancers. While BRAF and MEK inhibitors are effective in many patients with oncogenic BRAF V600E, there are no effective targeted therapies for individuals with cancers driven by other pathway alterations, including oncogenic KRAS, non-V600E BRAF, and NF1 loss. Here, we show that targeting the PTPN11/SHP2 phosphatase with a novel small molecule allosteric inhibitor is effective against cancers bearing nucleotide-cycling oncogenic RAS (e.g. KRAS G12C), RAS-GTP dependent oncogenic BRAF (e.g. class 3 BRAF mutants), or NF1 loss in multiple preclinical models in vitro and in vivo. SHP2 inhibition suppressed the levels of RAS-GTP and phosphorylated ERK in these models and induced growth inhibition. Expression of a constitutively active mutant of the RAS guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) SOS1 rescued cells from the effects of SHP2 inhibition, suggesting that SHP2 blockade decreases oncogenic RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signaling by disrupting SOS1-mediated RAS-GTP loading. Our findings illuminate a critical function for SHP2 in promoting oncogenic RAS activation and downstream signaling in cancers with nucleotide-cycling oncogenic RAS, RAS-GTP dependent oncogenic BRAF, and NF1 loss. SHP2 inhibition thus represents a rational, biomarker-driven therapeutic strategy to be tested in patients with cancers of diverse origins bearing these oncogenic drivers and for which current treatments are largely ineffective.Keywords: PTPN11, KRAS, G12C, BRAF, NF1, lung cancer INTRODUCTION RAS proteins are small GTPases that operate as molecular switches. When GTP-bound, RAS can engage downstream effector proteins, including RAF, to activate the MEK-ERK (MAPK) pathway and promote cellular proliferation 1 . Activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) leads to activation of RAS guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), such as son of sevenless homolog 1 (SOS1), to promote GTP loading of RAS and signaling, while RAS GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) stimulate GTP hydrolysis and terminate RAS activation and signaling 2 . This homeostatic GEF/GAP cycle is disrupted by oncogenic mutations in RAS and upstream components of the pathway, and can also be bypassed by mutations in downstream components.