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

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 , 45 novel ROR1 inhibitors were designed and synthesized, and the detailed structure-activity relationship was investigated. Representative compound potently binds ROR1 with a value of 0.10 μM, exhibiting antitumor activity in lung cancer and breast cancer cell lines (IC: 0.36-1.37 μM). Additionally, a mechanism investigation demonstrated that compound induces the apoptosis of tumor cells. Importantly, compound significantly suppressed tumor growth in a mouse model without obvious toxicity. Overall, this work identified compound as a new ROR1 inhibitor, providing a novel lead compound for the treatment of lung cancer and breast cancer.