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American Association for Cancer Research, Cancer Discovery, 5(9), p. 605-616, 2019

DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-18-0953

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Patient-Driven Discovery, Therapeutic Targeting, and Post-Clinical Validation of a Novel AKT1 Fusion–Driven Cancer

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Abstract Despite the important role of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis in the pathogenesis of cancer, to date there have been few functional oncogenic fusions identified involving the AKT genes. A 12-year-old female with a histopathologically indeterminate epithelioid neoplasm was found to harbor a novel fusion between the LAMTOR1 and AKT1 genes. Through expanded use access, she became the first pediatric patient to be treated with the oral ATP-competitive pan-AKT inhibitor ipatasertib. Treatment resulted in dramatic tumor regression, demonstrating through patient-driven discovery that the fusion resulted in activation of AKT1, was an oncogenic driver, and could be therapeutically targeted with clinical benefit. Post-clinical validation using patient-derived model systems corroborated these findings, confirmed a membrane-bound and constitutively active fusion protein, and identified potential mechanisms of resistance to single-agent treatment with ipatasertib. Significance: This study describes the patient-driven discovery of the first AKT1 fusion–driven cancer and its treatment with the AKT inhibitor ipatasertib. Patient-derived in vitro and in vivo model systems are used to confirm the LAMTOR1–AKT1 fusion as a tumorigenic driver and identify potential mechanisms of resistance to AKT inhibition. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 565