Cell experiment:

Exponentially growing cells (0.4×106/mL) are treated with Filanesib (ARRY-520) for up to 48 hours. For combination, HL-60 and HL-60Bcl-2 cells (0.4×106/mL) are incubated with Filanesib (ARRY-520), ABT-737, or both for up to 96 hours. DMSO is used as the control agent. Apoptosis is estimated by flow cytometry measurements of phosphatidyl serine with the Annexin-V-FLUOS Staining Kit. Membrane integrity is simultaneously assessed by 7-amino-actinomycin D (7-AAD). To measure changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), cells are loaded with CMXRos (300 nM) and MitoTracker Green (500 nM) for 1 hour at 37℃. The loss of MMP is then assessed by measuring CMXRos retention while simultaneously adjusting for mitochondrial mass.

Animal experiment:

Subcutaneous tumor xenografts are allowed to grow to a volume of 250-350 mm3. The mice are randomized into groups of 3-4 based on tumor size, and are given a single dose of Filanesib (ARRY-520) i.p. At various time-points after administration of the drug, the mice are euthanized by CO2 inhalation and the tumors excised and placed in 10% neutral buffered formalin. The formalin-fixed tumors are processed and paraffin embedded by standard procedures. Spindle morphology is analyzed by staining tumor sections for α-tubulin, and apoptosis is analyzed by TUNEL stain. Monopolar/abnormal spindles and TUNEL positive (apoptotic) cells are counted in three ×40 fields from each sample, analyzed using algorithms developed in ImagePro software.

ARRY 520 trifluoroacetate is a synthetic and salt form of KSP inhibitor with IC50 value of 6 nM.

Kinesin spindle protein (KSP) is one member of the mitotic kinesins involved in the early stages of mitosis responsible for centrosome separation.

In vitro: ARRY-520 had low nanomolar antiproliferative activity in various tumor cell lines and exhibited activity in multidrug-resistant cell lines. EC50s of ARRY-520 for proliferation inhibition in HCT-15, NCI/ADR-RES and K562/ADR cells was 3.7, 14 and 4.2 nM, respectively, while paclitaxel EC50s in these cell lines was 35, 565 and 372 nM. Moreover, K562/ADR was found to be 118-fold resistant to paclitaxel when compared to the parent K562 line, but only 3.5-fold resistant to that of ARRY-520 [1].

In vivo: ARRY-520 was found to be active in UISO-BCA-1 xenografts, which were completely resistant to paclitaxel. The antitumor efficacy of ARRY-520 was also found to be superior to paclitaxel in mice bearing HT-29, HCT-116, MDA-MB-231 and A2780 xenografts. ARRY-520 was superior to docetaxel in the androgen receptor-negative prostate cancer PC-3 xenograft model, and was also superior to docetaxel in the DU145 prostate xenograft model [1].

Clinical trial: A phase I trial was conducted to establish the safety and the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of ARRY-520. The MTD was 4.5 mg/m2 total dose per cycle for both dose schedules. Dose-limiting toxicities included exfoliative rash, hand-foot-syndrome, mucositis, and hyperbilirubinemia. Grades 3 or 4 reversible drug-related myelosuppression were observed in 33 of 36 patients [2].

References:
[1] Woessner R, Tunquist B, Lemieux C, Chlipala E, Jackinsky S, Dewolf W Jr, Voegtli W, Cox A, Rana S, Lee P, Walker D. ARRY-520, a novel KSP inhibitor with potent activity in hematological and taxane-resistant tumor models. Anticancer Res. 2009;29(11):4373-80.
[2] Khoury HJ, Garcia-Manero G, Borthakur G, Kadia T, Foudray MC, Arellano M, Langston A, Bethelmie-Bryan B, Rush S, Litwiler K, Karan S, Simmons H, Marcus AI, Ptaszynski M, Kantarjian H. A phase 1 dose-escalation study of ARRY-520, a kinesin spindle protein inhibitor, in patients with advanced myeloid leukemias. Cancer. 2012;118(14):3556-64.