MNK BIOMARKERS AND USES THEREOF

1 - 38 . (canceled)

39 . A method of identifying one or more genes sensitive to inhibition by a MNK inhibitor, the method comprising:

(a) isolating cancer cells from a biological sample from a subject who has cancer;

(b) contacting the isolated cancer cells with the MNK inhibitor;

(c) performing ribosomal profiling to measure translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level or any combination thereof of genes present in the cancer cells contacted with the MNK inhibitor; and

(d) identifying one or more genes as sensitive to inhibition by the MNK inhibitor wherein:

(i) the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level or any combination thereof of the one or more genes differs by a loge fold change of at least 0.75 relative to translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level or any combination thereof of the same genes in the subject's isolated cancer cells not contacted with a MNK inhibitor; and

(ii) the one or more genes contain a 5′-UTR recognition sequence of Table 8, a 3′-UTR recognition sequence of Table 11, or a combination thereof.

40 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the one or more identified genes are biomarkers for determining responsiveness to the MNK inhibitor.

41 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the MNK inhibitor has the following Formula (I):

or a stereoisomer, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein:

W 1 and W 2 are independently O, S or N—OR′, where R′ is lower alkyl;

Y is —N(R 5 )—, —O—, —S—, —C(O)—, —S═O, —S(O) 2 -, or —CHR 9 —;

R 1 is h y dro g en, lower alkyl, cycloalkyl or heterocyclyl wherein any lower alkyl, cycloalkyl or heterocyclyl is optionally substituted with 1, 2 or 3 J groups;

n is 1, 2 or 3;

R 2 and R 3 are each independently hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, araalkylene, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkylene, cycloalkyl, cycloalkyl alkyl ene, heterocyclyl, or heterocyclylalkylene, wherein any alkyl, aryl, araalkylene, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkylene, cycloalkyl, cycl oal kyl al kyl ene, heterocyclyl, or heterocyclylalkylene, is optionally substituted with 1, 2 or 3 J groups;

or R 2 and R 3 taken together with the carbon atom to which they are attached form a cycloalkyl or heterocyclyl, wherein any cycloalkyl or heterocyclyl is optionally substituted with 1, 2 or 3 J groups;

R 4a and R 4b are each independently hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, thiol, hydroxyalkylene, cyano, alkyl, alkoxy, acyl, thioalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, or heterocyclyl;

R 5 is hydrogen, cyano, or lower alkyl;

or R 5 and R 8 taken together with the atoms to which they are attached form a fused heterocyclyl optionally substituted with 1, 2 or 3 J groups;

R 6 , R 7 and R 8 are each independently hydrogen, hydroxy, halogen, cyano, amino, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkylene, cycloalkylalkenylene, alkylaminyl, alkylcarbonylaminyl, cycloalkylcarbonylaminyl, cycloalkyl heterocyclylaminyl, heteroaryl, or heterocyclyl, and wherein any amino, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkylene, cycloalkylalkenylene, amino, alkyl aminyl, alkylcarbonylaminyl, cycloalkylcarbonylaminyl, cycloalkylaminyl, heterocyclylaminyl, heteroaryl, or heterocyclyl is optionally substituted with 1, 2 or 3 J groups;

or R 7 and R 8 taken together with the atoms to which they are attached form a fused heterocyclyl or heteroaryl optionally substituted with 1, 2 or 3 J groups;

J is —SH, —SR 9 , —S(O)R 9 , —S(O) 2 R 9 , —S(O)NH 2 , —S(O)NR 9 R 9 , —NH 2 , —NR 9 R 9 , —COOH, —C(O)OR 9 , —C(O)R 9 , —C(O)—NH 2 , —C(O)—NR 9 R 9 , hydroxy, cyano, halogen, acetyl, alkyl, lower alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, haloalkyl, thioalkyl, cyanoalkylene, alkylaminyl, NH 2 —C(O)-alkylene , NR 9 R 9 —C (O)-alkylen , —CHR 9 —C(O)-lower alkyl, —C(O)-lower alkyl, alkylcarbonylaminyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkylene, cycloalkylalkenylene, cycloalkylcarbonyl aminyl, cycloalkylaminyl, —CHR 9 —C(O)-cycloalkyl, —C(O)-cycloalkyl, —CHR 9 —C(O)-aryl, —CHR 9 -aryl, —C(O)-aryl, —CHR 9 —C(O)-heterocycloalkyl, —C(O)-heterocycloalkyl, heterocyclylaminyl, or heterocyclyl; or any two J groups bound to the same carbon or hetero atom may be taken together to form oxo; and

R 9 is hydrogen, lower alkyl or —OH.

42 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the MNK inhibitor is a compound:

or a stereoisomer, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

43 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level, or any combination thereof of the one or more genes differs by a loge fold change of 2.0 relative to the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level or any combination thereof of the same genes in the subject's isolated cancer cells not contacted with a MNK inhibitor.

44 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level or any combination thereof of the one or more identified genes is increased relative to the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level or any combination thereof of the same genes in the subject's isolated cancer cells not contacted with a MNK inhibitor.

45 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level or any combination thereof of the one or more identified genes is decreased relative to the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level or any combination thereof of the same genes in the subject's isolated cancer cells not contacted with a MNK inhibitor.

46 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the cancer cells are contacted with 10 μM of the MNK inhibitor for 3 hours.

47 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the cancer cells are contacted with 10 μM of the MNK inhibitor for 48 hours.

48 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the MNK inhibitor is formulated with a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

49 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of a solid tumor, melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, renal cancer, a hematological cancer, prostate cancer, castration-resistant prostate cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, urothelial cancer, pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, hepatocellular cancer, myeloma, multiple myeloma, leukemia, lymphoma, diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome, brain cancer, CNS cancer, malignant glioma, and any combination thereof

50 . The method of claim 49 , wherein the cancer is lymphoma.

51 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the subject sample is a tumor tissue sample.

52 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the subject sample is a hematologic sample.

53 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level, or any combination thereof is of at least two genes in the isolated cancer cells.

54 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level, or any combination thereof is of at least three genes in the isolated cancer cells.

55 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the translational rate, translational efficiency, mRNA level, or any combination thereof is of at least four genes in the isolated cancer cells.

56 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the one or more identified genes are selected from the group consisting of NR2F1, VLDLR, C2CD2L, BCL9L, CAV2, ACCN2, FZD5, RBKS, ULK2, KLF5, KLF9, SYT4, TMSB4Y, SKI, CENPBD1, LPAR5, ST3GAL1, WNT8A, WASF1, B3GNT7, TNFRSF14, VANGL2, ZNF771, RPS6KL1, ZNF425, CCDC85C, PER3, RASGRF1, EDN1, FLT3LG, SLC35A2, NR4A3, GLIPR2, ARMC7, PPP1R3D, PSRC1, KIAA0748, SETD1B, SLC16A3, MOB3C, LHFPL2, TTLL11, PCDH9, STMN3, FAM212B, C6orf225, SMN2 and any combination thereof.

57 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the ribosomal profiling is performed to measure the translational rate of genes present in the isolated cancer cells.

58 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the ribosomal profiling is performed to measure the translational efficiency of genes present in the isolated cancer cells.