title: Efficacy and mechanism of action of volasertib, a potent and selective inhibitor of Polo-like kinases, in preclinical models of acute myeloid leukemia.
abstract: Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), a member of the Polo-like kinase family of serine/threonine kinases, is a key regulator of multiple steps in mitosis. Here we report on the pharmacological profile of volasertib, a potent and selective Plk inhibitor, in multiple preclinical models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) including established cell lines, bone marrow samples from AML patients in short-term culture, and subcutaneous as well as disseminated in vivo models in immune-deficient mice. Our results indicate that volasertib is highly efficacious as a single agent and in combination with established and emerging AML drugs, including the antimetabolite cytarabine, hypomethylating agents (decitabine, azacitidine), and quizartinib, a signal transduction inhibitor targeting FLT3. Collectively, these preclinical data support the use of volasertib as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of AML patients, and provide a foundation for combination approaches that may further improve and prolong clinical responses.
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.) dorothea.rudolph@boehringer-ingelheim.com.
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Impagnatiello
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blaukopf
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Gerlich
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Mareike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tontsch-Grunt
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wernitznig
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Savarese
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Marco H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Geiselmann
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reschke
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garin-Chesa
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zuber
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moll
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Günther R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Adolf
authors.affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria (D.R., M.A.I., U.T.-G., A.W., F.S., M.H.H., C.A., L.G., M.R., P.G.-C., J.M., G.R.A., N.K.); Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria (C.B., C.S., D.W.G.); and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria (M.R., J.Z.).
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kraut
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016513:Mice, SCID; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011621:Pteridines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays / Q000379:methods; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011621:Pteridines; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1; C541363:BI 6727