TNG260 is a Small-Molecule CoREST Inhibitor that Sensitizes STK11-Mutant Tumors to Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy.
Ahronian, L.G., Sahu, S., Zhang, M., Patel, A.S., Geng, K., Bhattacharya, R., Falchook, G.S., Goldman, J.W., Spira, A.I., Punekar, S.R., Spigel, D.R., Wang, J.S., Skoulidis, F., Stephens, J., Meynardie, M., Powell, J.M., Lopez, A., Ranieri, M., Ploszaj, M.A., Tan, Y.J., Lee, Y.T., Yu, Y., Deng, J., Chen, T., McCarren, P., Tsai, A., Hussain, S.S., Doyon, B., Amemiya, K., Ermolieff, J., Shahagadkar, P., Das, N.M., Flynn, L.R., Shields, J.A., Danielczyk, L., McMillan, B.J., Mignault, A., Meier, S.R., Wu, H.J., Guerin, D.J., Whittington, D.A., Min, C., Sienczylo, I., Maxwell, J.P., DiBenedetto, H.J., Watanabe, H., Haines, B.B., Huang, A., Crystal, A., Andersen, J.N., Wu, X., Wong, K.K.(2025) Cancer Res 
- PubMed: 40882030 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-0998
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
9NTB - PubMed Abstract: 
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with loss of the tumor suppressor gene STK11 are resistant to immune checkpoint therapies like anti-PD-1. Here, we conducted an in vivo CRISPR screen that identified HDAC1 as a target to reverse anti-PD-1 resistance driven by loss of STK11 and developed TNG260, a potent small-molecule inhibitor of the CoREST complex with selectivity exceeding previously generated inhibitors in this class in preclinical studies. Treatment with TNG260 led to increased expression of immunomodulatory genes in STK11-deficient cancer cells. When combined with anti-PD-1, TNG260 induced immune-mediated stasis and/or regression in STK11-deficient syngeneic tumor models and autochthonous NSCLC models. In the tumors of patients with STK11-deficient cancers on a clinical trial (NCT05887492), treatment with a combination of TNG260 and pembrolizumab increased intratumoral histone acetylation, PD-L1 tumor proportion scores, and T cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. This study illustrates a promising treatment strategy for addressing immune evasion in STK11-mutant NSCLC patients.
- Tango Therapeutics (United States), Boston, MA, United States.
Organizational Affiliation: