Discovery of Novel Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-like Orphan Receptor 1 (ROR1) Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) is an oncogenic membrane protein in several malignancies and has been considered an attractive target for the treatment of human cancers. In this study, structure-based virtual screening and structure optimization were conducted to identify novel ROR1 inhibitors. Based on hit compound <b>2</b>, 45 novel ROR1 inhibitors were designed and synthesized, and the detailed structure-activity relationship was investigated. Representative compound <b>19h</b> potently binds ROR1 with a <i>K</i>_D value of 0.10 μM, exhibiting antitumor activity in lung cancer and breast cancer cell lines (IC₅₀: 0.36-1.37 μM). Additionally, a mechanism investigation demonstrated that compound <b>19h</b> induces the apoptosis of tumor cells. Importantly, compound <b>19h</b> significantly suppressed tumor growth in a mouse model without obvious toxicity. Overall, this work identified compound <b>19h</b> as a new ROR1 inhibitor, providing a novel lead compound for the treatment of lung cancer and breast cancer.