GSE178211
ALK inhibitors suppress HCC and synergize with anti-PD-1 therapy and ABT-263 in preclinical models
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) currently lacks effective therapies, leaving a critical need for new treatment options. A previous study identified the Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) amplification in HCC patients, raising the question of whether ALK inhibitors could be a viable treatment. Here, we showed that both ALK inhibitors and ALK knockout effectively halted HCC growth in cell cultures. Lorlatinib, a potent ALK inhibitor, suppressed HCC tumor growth and metastasis across various mouse models. Additionally, in an advanced immunocompetent humanized mouse model, when combined with an anti-PD-1 antibody, lorlatinib more potently suppressed HCC tumor growth, surpassing individual drug efficacy. Lorlatinib induced apoptosis and senescence in HCC cells, and the senolytic agent ABT-263 enhanced the efficacy of lorlatinib. Additional studies identified that the apoptosis-inducing effect of lorlatinib was mediated via GGN and NRG4. These findings establish ALK inhibitors as promising HCC treatments, either alone or in combination with immunotherapies or senolytic agents. Overall design: Total RNA was extracted from all non target expressing and ALK targeted inhibition in HepG2, SK-HEP1 and SNU449 cells, followed by poly-A selection and RNA-sequencing using Illumina Hi-Seq 2500 platform, with three biological replicates for each transformed sample.