GMB-475 is a BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase degrader based on PROTAC, overcoming BCR-ABL1-dependent drug resistance. GMB-475 targets BCR-ABL1 protein and recruits the E3 ligase Von Hippel Lindau (VHL).resulting in ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the oncogenic fusion protein

GMB-475 inhibited the proliferation of certain clinically relevant BCR-ABL1 kinase domain point mutants and further sensitized Ba/F3 BCR-ABL1 cells to inhibition by imatinib, while demonstrating no toxicity toward Ba/F3 parental cells.?Reverse phase protein array analysis suggested additional differences in levels of phosphorylated SHP2, GAB2, and SHC associated with BCR-ABL1 degradation.?Importantly, GMB-475 reduced viability and increased apoptosis in primary CML CD34+ cells, with no effect on healthy CD34+ cells at identical concentrations.?GMB-475 degraded BCR-ABL1 and reduced cell viability in primary CML stem cells.?Together, these findings suggest that combined BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibition and protein degradation may represent a strategy to address BCR-ABL1-dependent drug resistance, and warrant further investigation into the eradication of persistent leukemic stem cells, which rely on neither the presence nor the activity of the BCR-ABL1 protein for survival.