There is an urgent need to develop novel therapies for malignant solid tumors. Tumor hypoxia, a reduction In partial oxygen pressure is a characteristic of solid tumor growth and develops following insufficient oxygen supply from preexisting vasculature. This phenomenon stimulates tumor progression by activating physiological responses that permit tumor-induced angiogenesis and metabolic adaptation to growth under a hypoxic environment. It is also a major factor in the resistance of cancer cells to radio- and chemo-therapies. Hypoxia triggers activation of Hypoxia-lnducible Factor 1 (HIF-1), a transcription factor that drives transcription of genes encoding pro-angiogenic factors and glycolytic enzymes that contribute to tumor growth. Strategies that inhibit HIF-1 function through HIF-1a knockdown or knockout approaches have reduced tumor growth in experimental models including glioblastoma, the most malignant brain tumor for which there is currently no effective therapy. Here we would like to test the hypothesis that small molecules that inhibit the HIF-1 pathway will inhibit the growth of glioblastoma, either singly or in combination with other agents. We have developed a novel pipeline of such potential therapeutic agents by screening a natural product-like library of small molecular compounds using a HIF-1-responsive cell-based reporter assay. We have generated extensive preliminary data showing that two structural classes of compounds identified have potent anti-HIF activity in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we have found that our lead HIF inhibitor acts via a unique mechanism and is able to strongly inhibit in vivo tumor growth upon systemic administration.Here we plan to further develop these lead molecules, test them further in animal models of glioblastoma as a model for an aggressivesolid tumor relying on HIF-1 activation for its growth, and determine their precise mechanism of action. These studies are innovative in that these molecules have a novel unique chemical structure and mechanism of action, and there is a pressing need for small molecule HIF pathway inhibitors. These small molecules have great potential as candidate therapeutics for a large number of solid tumors that rely on the HIF pathway for their growth. These preclinical studies have the potential to directly benefit human health by increasing the survival of cancer patients, a main goal of the National Cancer Institute.
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