Foretinib

Activation of MET by mutation is the causative factor in an inherited kidney cancer syndrome, hereditary papilliary renal cell carcinaoma. Mutational activation of MET has also been found in sporadic kidney cancer, lung carcinomas and head and neck carcinomas. MET is a key driver of tumor cell growth, motility, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. Foretinib has attractive pharmaceutical properties with high solubility and oral bioavailability and demonstrates nanomolar potency against its targets, VEGFR, MET, which translates to potent activity in cellular assays. In preclinical studies, Foretinib, developed as a balanced inhibitor of these receptor tyrosine kinases, potently inhibited both MET and VEGFR, including mutant activated forms of MET found in hereditary papillary renal carcinomas. The compound also demonstrated dose-dependent growth inhibition in tumor models of breast, colorectal, non-small cell lung cancer and glioblastoma and has been shown to cause substantial tumor regression in all models tested.