Effects of roniciclib in preclinical models of anaplastic thyroid cancer

// Shu-Fu Lin 1 , Jen-Der Lin 1 , Chuen Hsueh 2 , Ting-Chao Chou 3, 4 and Richard J. Wong 5 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan 2 Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan 3 Laboratory of Preclinical Pharmacology Core, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA 4 Current address: PD Science, Inc., Paramus, NJ, USA 5 Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA Correspondence to: Shu-Fu Lin, email: mmg@cgmh.org.tw Keywords: roniciclib, cyclin-dependent kinase, anaplastic thyroid cancer Received: March 02, 2017 Accepted: May 23, 2017 Published: July 08, 2017 ABSTRACT Many human cancers have altered cyclin-dependent kinase activity. Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases may arrest cell cycle progression and represents an important strategy in the treatment of malignancies. We evaluated the therapeutic effects of roniciclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, as a treatment for anaplastic thyroid cancer. Roniciclib inhibited anaplastic thyroid cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Roniciclib activated caspase-3 activity and induced apoptosis. Cell cycle progression was arrested in G2/M phase. In vivo , the growth of anaplastic thyroid cancer xenograft tumors was retarded by roniciclib treatment without evidence of toxicity. These data provide a rationale for further clinical evaluation using roniciclib in the treatment of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.