JC-010a, a novel selective SHP2 allosteric inhibitor, overcomes RTK/non-RTK-mediated drug resistance in multiple oncogene-addicted cancers

Src homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase (SHP2) is a non-receptor protein phosphatase that transduces signals from upstream receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs)/non-RTKs to Ras/MAPK pathway. Accumulating studies indicated that SHP2 is a critical mediator of resistance to current targeted therapies in multiple cancers. Here, we reported a novel SHP2 allosteric inhibitor JC-010a, which was highly selective to SHP2 and bound at the “tunnel” allosteric site of SHP2. The effect of JC-010a on combating RTK/non-RTK or MAPK inhibitors-induced acquired resistance was explored. Our study demonstrated that JC-010a monotherapy significantly inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells with different oncogenic drivers via inhibiting signaling through SHP2. Importantly, JC-010a abolished acquired resistance induced by targeted therapies: in KRAS-mutant cancers, JC-010a abrogated selumetinib-induced adaptive resistance mediated by RTK/SHP2; in BCR-ABL-driven leukemia cells, we demonstrated JC-010a inhibited BCR-ABL T315I mutation-mediated imatinib resistance and proposed a novel mechanism of JC-010a involving the disrupted co-interaction of SHP2, BCR-ABL, and Hsp90; in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, JC-010a inhibited both EGFR T790M/C797S mutation and alternate RTK-driven resistance to gefitinib or osimertinib; importantly, we first proposed a novel potential therapeutic strategy for RET-rearranged cancer, we confirmed that JC-010a monotherapy inhibited cell resistance to BLU-667, and JC-010a/BLU-667 combination prolonged anticancer response both in vivo and in vitro cancer models by inhibiting the alternate MET activation-induced RAS/MAPK reactivation, thereby promoting cancer cell apoptosis. These findings suggested that JC-010a was a novel selective SHP2 allosteric inhibitor, and combing JC-010a with current targeted therapy agents provided a promising therapeutic approach for clinical resistant cancers.