# Novel Degraders of Androgen Receptor (AR) and AR Splice Variants (AR-SVs)

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCI CTR · 2020 · $47,120

## Abstract

Approximately 160,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) and around 30,000 died of PCa in 2017.
Over 3.3 million men are surviving with PCa in the United States and this number is expected to increase to 4.5
million by 2026. Current therapeutic strategies for advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) include
androgen receptor (AR) antagonists and a CYP17A1 inhibitor that prevents synthesis of androgens. Although
these drugs extend the progression-free survival, approximately 30% of the tumors do not respond to these
therapies and the remaining develops resistance shortly after treatment initiation. One of the primary reasons for
CRPC relapse, despite these treatments, is expression of constitutively-active AR splice variants (AR-SV) that
lack the ligand binding domain (LBD). To overcome this critical barrier, we discovered novel AR antagonists
(Selective Androgen Receptor Degraders (SARDs)) that bind to the AR-activation function-1 domain (AF-1) in
the N terminal domain (NTD) and/or LBD and antagonize and degrade AR and AR-SVs. The SARDs have unique
pharmacologic properties that strongly and selectively antagonize the AR and degrade full length and splice
variant AR (independent of LBD) in multiple models. These SARDs inhibit growth of prostate cancer cells and
tumors that are dependent on AR full length and splice variants for growth.
The SARDs we have tested thus far have poor bioavailability and drug-like properties. In order to overcome the
poor bioavailability and to understand the mechanisms of action, we propose a) to develop novel SARDs that
will inhibit and degrade full length and splice variants of the AR and will be orally bioavailable and b) to identify
mechanisms by which the AR and its splice variants are degraded, resulting in drugs with better efficacy. Under
aim-1 we will synthesize AR antagonists belonging to new generation of SARDs that will degrade the AR, inhibit
prostate cancer growth, and will be orally bioavailable. We will synthesize and identify orally bioavailable SARDs
and evaluate those using in vitro and in vivo PCa and CRPC models. These studies will result in highly potent
new SARDs that will have drug-like properties. Under aim-2, we will identify the role of ubiquitination in AR and
AR-SV degradation by discerning ubiquitin sites and characterizing their role in AR, AR-SV, and SARD action.
Efforts will be dedicated in aim-3 to determine the scavenging role of SARDs and the implications of GATA-2
down-regulation for SARD function. The expected outcome of these studies will be new next generation drugs
to treat aggressive CRPC, research tools to study AR degradation, better understanding of the AR and CRPC
basic biology, and surrogate endpoints to advance these molecules to clinic.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10058908
- **Project number:** 3R01CA229164-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCI CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Ramesh Narayanan
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $47,120
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10058908

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10058908, Novel Degraders of Androgen Receptor (AR) and AR Splice Variants (AR-SVs) (3R01CA229164-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10058908. Licensed CC0.

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