Resistance to neoadjuvant talazoparib in triple-negative breast cancer by BRN2-induced ATR/STAT3 pathways or SHLD2 subclone expansion

Intrinsic and acquired resistance to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi) remains a major barrier in treating homologous recombination (HR) repair-deficient tumors, including those with germline or somatic <i>BRCA1/2</i> mutations. Although PARPi are FDA approved for adjuvant treatment of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in patients with germline <i>BRCA1/2</i> mutations, emerging data support their use as monotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting. Promising safety profiles of newer-generation PARPi further support this potential. However, resistance mechanisms specific to the neoadjuvant setting are poorly understood. To address this gap, we leveraged resources from a phase II neoadjuvant clinical trial (NCT03499353), analyzing tumors from patients with germline <i>BRCA1/2</i> mutant breast tumors before and after six months of talazoparib monotherapy. Whole-transcriptome analyses were performed on these samples. Additionally, we established orthotopic patient-derived xenograft models from a subset of the patient tumors and conducted whole-exome and whole-transcriptome analysis. This integrative approach revealed both known and previously unknown PARPi resistance mechanisms. In one case, overexpression of <i>BRN2</i>, encoding a transcription factor that plays a critical role in neurogenesis, led to activation of ATR/RAD51 and STAT3 pathways, restoring HR repair. BRN2-driven resistance could be reversed with ATR and STAT3 inhibitors, resensitizing cells to talazoparib. In another, an HR repair proficient tumor subclone lacking Shieldin 2 expression expanded during treatment and accounted for intrinsic resistance. Our findings highlight the need to determine intrinsic and anticipate acquired resistance pathways in treatment-naïve tumors and support combining PARPi with targeted agents to improve outcomes in the neoadjuvant setting.