Efficacy and Synergy of Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeting FLT3-ITD⁺ Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Constitutive activation of FLT3 by ITD mutations is one of the most common genetic aberrations in AML, present in ~1/3 of cases. Patients harboring FLT3-ITD display worse clinical outcomes. The integration and advancement of FLT3 TKI in AML treatment provided significant therapeutic improvement. However, due to the emergence of resistance mechanisms, FLT3-ITD⁺ AML remains a clinical challenge. We performed an unbiased drug screen to identify 18 compounds as particularly efficacious against FLT3-ITD⁺ AML. Among these, we characterized two investigational compounds, WS6 and ispinesib, and two approved drugs, ponatinib and cabozantinib, in depth. We found that WS6, although not yet investigated in oncology, shows a similar mechanism and potency as ponatinib and cabozantinib. Interestingly, ispinesib and cabozantinib prevent activation of AXL, a key driver and mechanism of drug resistance in FLT3-ITD⁺ AML patients. We further investigated synergies between the selected compounds and found that combination treatment with ispinesib and cabozantinib or ponatinib shows high synergy in FLT3-ITD⁺ AML cell lines and patient samples. Together, we suggest WS6, ispinesib, ponatinib and cabozantinib as novel options for targeting FLT3-ITD⁺ AML. Whether combinatorial tyrosine kinase and kinesin spindle blockade is effective in eradicating neoplastic (stem) cells in FLT3-ITD⁺ AML remains to be determined in clinical trials.