SHP2 Inhibition Prevents Adaptive Resistance to MEK inhibitors in Multiple Cancer Models [Research Briefs]

Adaptive resistance to MEK inhibitors (MEK-Is) typically occurs via induction of genes for different receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and/or their ligands, even in tumors of the same histotype, making combination strategies challenging. SHP2 (PTPN11) is required for RAS/ERK pathway activation by most RTKs, and might provide a common resistance node. We found that combining the SHP2 inhibitor SHP099 with a MEK-I inhibited the proliferation of multiple cancer cell lines in vitro. PTPN11 knockdown/MEK-I treatment had similar effects, while expressing SHP099 binding-defective PTPN11 mutants conferred resistance, demonstrating that SHP099 is on-target. SHP099/trametinib was highly efficacious in xenograft and/or genetically engineered models of KRAS-mutant pancreas, lung, and ovarian cancer and in wild type RAS-expressing triple negative breast cancer. SHP099 inhibited activation of KRAS mutants with residual GTPase activity, impeded SOS/RAS/MEK/ERK1/2 reactivation in response to MEK-Is and blocked ERK1/2-dependent transcriptional programs. We conclude that SHP099/MEK-I combinations could have therapeutic utility in multiple malignancies.

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