Evaluation of GTPase Inhibition by Post-operative Intravenous Ketorolac in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Drug repurposing, screening a library of FDA approved agents, can identify agents that are clinically available and for which pharmacology and pharmacokinetics are known and preclinical data can be generated rapidly without the subsequent need for GMP (good manufacturing practice) new drug production. Small GTPases, including members of the Rab, Ras and Rho families, are attractive targets for the development of cancer therapeutics based on their pivotal roles in protein trafficking, proliferation/survival and cytoskeletal organization, respectively. Ketorolac tromethamine is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that was identified in previous in-silico drug screens to be an inhibitor of GTPases. In a previous phase 0 clinical study, ketorolac was administered intravenously to ovarian cancer patients following optimal cytoreductive surgery. Ovarian cancer cells were obtained at the time of surgery, prior to ketorolac administration, and at various times after ketorolac dosing. Analysis of GTPase activity in these specimens showed a time-dependent inhibition of Rac1 and Cdc42 GTPase activity. The purpose of this study is to confirm that the effect is ketorolac driven and not a specific effect of the post-operative peritoneal compartment.