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Khadka, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Khadka, S..

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Pharmacokinetics of Orally Administered GS-441524 in Dogs

Despite being FDA-approved for COVID-19, the clinical efficacy of remdesivir (Veklury(R)) remains contentious. We previously pointed out pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicology reasons for why its parent nucleoside GS-441524, is better suited for COVID-19 treatment. Here, we assess the oral bioavailability of GS-441524 in beagle dogs and show that plasma concentrations [~]24-fold higher than the EC50 against SARS-CoV-2 are easily and safely sustained. These data support translation of GS-441524 as an oral agent for COVID-19.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

Robust detection of oncometabolic aberrations by 1H-13C heteronuclear single quantum correlation in live cells and intact tumors ex-vivo

Extensive efforts have been made to use non-invasive 1H magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy to quantify metabolites that are diagnostic of specific disease states. Within the realm of precision oncology, these efforts have largely centered on quantifying 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) in tumors harboring isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutations. As many metabolites have similar chemical shifts, the resulting 1H spectra of intact biological material are highly convoluted, limiting the application of 1H MR to high abundance metabolites. Hydrogen-Carbon Heteronuclear single quantum correlation 1H-13C HSQC is routinely employed in organic synthesis to resolve complex spectra but has received limited attention for biological studies. Here, we show that 1H-13C HSQC offers a dramatic improvement in sensitivity compared to one-dimensional (1D) 13C NMR and dramatic signal deconvolution compared to 1D 1H spectra in an intact biological setting. Using a standard NMR spectroscope without specialized signal enhancements features such as magic angle spinning, metabolite extractions or 13C-isotopic enrichment, we obtain well-resolved 2D 1H-13C HSQC spectra in live cancer cells, in ex-vivo freshly dissected xenografted tumors and resected primary tumors. We demonstrate that this method can readily identify tumors with specific genetic-driven oncometabolite alterations such as IDH mutations with elevation of 2-HG as well as PGD-homozygously deleted tumors with elevation of gluconate. These data support the potential of 1H-13C HSQC as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for metabolic precision oncology.

biophysics↗

Eradication of ENO1-deleted Glioblastoma through Collateral Lethality

Inhibiting glycolysis remains an aspirational approach for the treatment of cancer. We recently demonstrated that SF2312, a natural product phosphonate antibiotic, is a potent inhibitor of the glycolytic enzyme Enolase with potential utility for the collateral lethality-based treatment of Enolase-deficient glioblastoma (GBM). However, phosphonates are anionic at physiological pH, limiting cell and tissue permeability. Here, we show that addition of pivaloyloxymethyl (POM) groups to SF2312 (POMSF) dramatically increases potency, leading to inhibition of glycolysis and killing of ENO1-deleted glioma cells in the low nM range. But the utility of POMSF in vivo is dose-limited by severe hemolytic anemia. A derivative, POMHEX, shows equipotency to POMSF without inducing hemolytic anemia. POMHEX can eradicate intracranial orthotopic ENO1-deleted tumors, despite sub-optimal pharmacokinetic properties. Taken together, our data provide in vivo proof-of-principal for collateral lethality in precision oncology and showcase POMHEX as a useful molecule for the study of glycolysis in cancer metabolism.\n\n\n\nO_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=104 SRC=\"FIGDIR/small/331538_ufig1.gif\" ALT=\"Figure 1\">\nView larger version (20K):\norg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b78ebcorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1fc0ccforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ad268corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1bdee32_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cancer biology↗