Dear colleagues,
I would like to invite you to the lecture by Samatha Masineni called "Advancing Neuroblastoma Treatment via PROTAC-Mediated CDK Targeting". The lecture will be on Wednesday April 15, 2026 at 9AM in the room 1.09 at IMTM.
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is an aggressive paediatric cancer often driven by CDK4/6 dysregulation. First-generation CDK4/6 inhibitors show limited efficacy in paediatric tumours due to persistent non-enzymatic functions. To overcome this, we developed PROTAC-based degraders that selectively target and degrade CDK4/6.These degraders, derived from Abemaciclib and recruiting CRBN or other E3 ligases, showed significantly improved potency (IC₅₀ ≃10 nM) and induced strong, dose-dependent degradation of CDK4/6, with complete CDK6 depletion at ≥100 nM. Some compounds also degraded CDK9 at sub-nanomolar levels. Overall, this approach offers a promising strategy to overcome resistance and improve therapeutic outcomes in neuroblastoma and other paediatric cancers.