BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor K0706 exhibits preclinical activity in Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemia

BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the cornerstone of treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia. Although there are now four TKIs approved for use in the front-line setting, acquired TKI resistance via secondary kinase domain mutations remains a problem for patients. K0706 is a novel BCR-ABL1 TKI currently under clinical investigation with structural elements similar to those of ponatinib and dasatinib. In this article, we functionally characterize the anti-leukemic activity of K0706 using cell proliferation assays in conjunction with drug resistance screening. We provide details from molecular modeling to support our in vitro findings and additionally describe our limited clinical experience with this drug in two patients treated on trial. We demonstrate that although K0706 retains efficacy against a large spectrum of clinically relevant mutations, it does not appear to have activity against BCR-ABL1^T315I. Early trial experience suggests excellent tolerability, which may positively affect the place of K0706 within the ever-expanding chronic myeloid leukemia treatment paradigm.