KU-0060648 exhibits differential effects on growth inhibition, but is not profoundly cytotoxic in a panel of human cancer cell lines. It inhibits DNA-PK and PI-3K with greater potency in MCF7 than SW620 cell using cell-based assays. Five-day exposure to 1 mM KU-0060648 inhibits cell proliferation by more than 95% in MCF7 cells but only by 55% in SW620 cells. In clonogenic survival assays, KU-0060648 increases the cytotoxicity of etoposide and doxorubicin across the panel of DNA-PKcs-proficient cells, but not in DNA-PKcs-deficient cells, confirming that enhanced cytotoxicity of the topoisomerase II poisons etoposide and doxorubicin is due to DNA-PK inhibition. [1]

KU-0060648 enhances the anti-tumour activity of etoposide in both MCF7 and SW620 xenograft models, and has single-agent activity in the MCF7 xenograft model. [1]