Allosteric kinase inhibition in hematological malignancies: from asciminib to emerging regulatory sites

Marx, Ailie, Cohen, Maor, Ruthardt, Martin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1021-3811 and Mahajna, Jamal 2026. Allosteric kinase inhibition in hematological malignancies: from asciminib to emerging regulatory sites. Biochemical Pharmacology 254 (Pt 1) , 118436. 10.1016/j.bcp.2026.118436

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Abstract

ATP-site resistance mutations, exemplified by T315I in BCR::ABL1, limit the durability of kinase inhibitor therapy in hematological malignancies. Allosteric sites outside the catalytic cleft offer an alternative: ligands that bind regulatory pockets can stabilize inactive conformations and retain activity against mutations that defeat ATP-site drugs. Several reviews have addressed this principle across the kinome, but none has applied a hematology-focused druggability appraisal anchored in the BCR::ABL1/asciminib precedent. This review fills that gap with two contributions: mechanistic evidence that crizotinib engages BCR::ABL1 through a putative dual ATP-site/myristoyl-pocket mechanism, supported by indirect evidence and pending direct structural confirmation; and a hypothesis linking recurrent synonymous mutations in non-receptor tyrosine kinases to transiently structured regulatory regions, as a strategy for identifying latent allosteric sites. Asciminib is the proof of concept. It binds the MBP of ABL1, locking the kinase in an autoinhibited-like state without competing for ATP. In the ASCEMBL trial, it achieved a major molecular response rate of 25.5% at 24 weeks versus 13.2% for bosutinib in heavily pretreated CML, with better tolerability—the first regulatory-site inhibitor approved for a hematological malignancy. The question is whether this can extends further. Dual-site strategies may raise the barrier to resistance, but the structural and biochemical validation remains incomplete for FLT3, JAK2, and BTK. Asciminib resistance is already real: A337V and P465S mutations reduce binding, and bypass signaling adds another layer. Each approved allosteric agent—asciminib, trametinib, and ivosidenib—required extensive structural and functional validation before reaching the clinic; structural prediction alone is not enough.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Medicine
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0006-2952
Date of Acceptance:	1 September 2026
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2026 09:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189598

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