Discovery of EEDi-5273 as an Exceptionally Potent and Orally Efficacious EED Inhibitor Capable of Achieving Complete and Persistent Tumor Regression.

Embryonic ectoderm development (EED) is a promising therapeutic target for human cancers and other diseases. We report herein the discovery of exceptionally potent and efficacious EED inhibitors. By conformational restriction of a previously reported EED inhibitor, we obtained a potent lead compound. Further optimization of the lead yielded exceptionally potent EED inhibitors. The best compound EEDi-5273 binds to EED with an IC50 value of 0.2 nM and inhibits the KARPAS422 cell growth with an IC50 value of 1.2 nM. It demonstrates an excellent PK and ADME profile, and its oral administration leads to complete and persistent tumor regression in the KARPAS422 xenograft model with no signs of toxicity. Co-crystal structures of two potent EED inhibitors with EED provide a solid structural basis for their high-affinity binding. EEDi-5273 is a promising EED inhibitor for further advanced preclinical development for the treatment of human cancer and other human diseases.

EEDi-5285: An Exceptionally Potent, Efficacious, and Orally Active Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Embryonic Ectoderm Development.

Inhibition of embryonic ectoderm development (EED) is a new cancer therapeutic strategy. Herein, we report our discovery of EEDi-5285 as an exceptionally potent, efficacious, and orally active EED inhibitor. EEDi-5285 binds to the EED protein with an IC50 value of 0.2 nM and inhibits cell growth with IC50 values of 20 pM and 0.5 nM in the Pfeiffer and KARPAS422 lymphoma cell lines, respectively, carrying an EZH2 mutation. EEDi-5285 is approximately 100 times more potent than EED226 in binding to EED and >300 times more potent than EED226 in inhibition of cell growth in the KARPAS422 cell line. EEDi-5285 has excellent pharmacokinetics and achieves complete and durable tumor regression in the KARPAS422 xenograft model in mice with oral administration. The cocrystal structure of EEDi-5285 in a complex with EED defines the precise structural basis for their high binding affinity. EEDi-5285 is the most potent and efficacious EED inhibitor reported to date.

A New Approach of Mitigating CYP3A4 Induction Led to the Discovery of Potent Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Capsid Inhibitor with Optimal ADMET Profiles.

Described herein is a new approach to mitigate CYP3A4 induction. In this unconventional approach, a fine-tuning of the dihedral angle between the C4 phenyl and the dihydropyrimidine core of the heteroaryldihydropyrimidine (HAP) class of capsid inhibitors successfully altered the structure-activity-relationships (SARs) of the unwanted CYP3A4 induction and the desired HBV capsid inhibition to more favorable values. This eventually led to the discovery of a new capsid inhibitor with significantly reduced CYP3A4 induction, excellent anti-HBV activity, favorable preclinical PK/PD profiles, and no early safety flags.

Discovery and Pre-Clinical Characterization of Third-Generation 4-H Heteroaryldihydropyrimidine (HAP) Analogues as Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Capsid Inhibitors.

Described herein are the discovery and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of the third-generation 4-H heteroaryldihydropyrimidines (4-H HAPs) featuring the introduction of a C6 carboxyl group as novel HBV capsid inhibitors. This new series of 4-H HAPs showed improved anti-HBV activity and better drug-like properties compared to the first- and second-generation 4-H HAPs. X-ray crystallographic study of analogue 12 (HAP_R01) with Cp149 Y132A mutant hexamer clearly elucidated the role of C6 carboxyl group played for the increased binding affinity, which formed strong hydrogen bonding interactions with capsid protein and coordinated waters. The representative analogue 10 (HAP_R10) was extensively characterized in vitro (ADMET) and in vivo (mouse PK and PD) and subsequently selected for further development as oral anti-HBV infection agent.

Heteroaryldihydropyrimidine (HAP) and Sulfamoylbenzamide (SBA) Inhibit Hepatitis B Virus Replication by Different Molecular Mechanisms.

Heteroaryldihydropyrimidine (HAP) and sulfamoylbenzamide (SBA) are promising non-nucleos(t)ide HBV replication inhibitors. HAPs are known to promote core protein mis-assembly, but the molecular mechanism of abnormal assembly is still elusive. Likewise, the assembly status of core protein induced by SBA remains unknown. Here we show that SBA, unlike HAP, does not promote core protein mis-assembly. Interestingly, two reference compounds HAP_R01 and SBA_R01 bind to the same pocket at the dimer-dimer interface in the crystal structures of core protein Y132A hexamer. The striking difference lies in a unique hydrophobic subpocket that is occupied by the thiazole group of HAP_R01, but is unperturbed by SBA_R01. Photoaffinity labeling confirms the HAP_R01 binding pose at the dimer-dimer interface on capsid and suggests a new mechanism of HAP-induced mis-assembly. Based on the common features in crystal structures we predict that T33 mutations generate similar susceptibility changes to both compounds. In contrast, mutations at positions in close contact with HAP-specific groups (P25A, P25S, or V124F) only reduce susceptibility to HAP_R01, but not to SBA_R01. Thus, HAP and SBA are likely to have distinctive resistance profiles. Notably, P25S and V124F substitutions exist in low-abundance quasispecies in treatment-naïve patients, suggesting potential clinical relevance.

Identification of New ATG4B Inhibitors Based on a Novel High-Throughput Screening Platform.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved homeostasis process through which aggregated proteins or damaged organelles are enveloped in a double-membrane structure called an autophagosome and then digested in a lysosome-dependent manner. Growing evidence suggests that malfunction of autophagy contributes to the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases, including cancer, viral infection, and neurodegeneration. However, autophagy is a complicated process, and understanding of the relevance of autophagy to disease is limited by lack of specific and potent autophagy modulators. ATG4B, a Cys-protease that cleaves ATG8 family proteins, such as LC3B, is a key protein in autophagosome formation and maturation process. A novel time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) assay measuring protease activity of ATG4B was developed, validated, and adapted into a high-throughput screening (HTS) format. HTS was then conducted with a Roche focus library of 57,000 compounds. After hit confirmation and a counterscreen to filter out fluorescence interference compounds, 267 hits were confirmed, constituting a hit rate of 0.49%. Furthermore, among 65 hits with an IC50 < 50 µM, one compound mimics the LC3 peptide substrate (-TFG-). Chemistry modification based on this particular hit gave preliminary structure activity relationship (SAR) resulting in a compound with a 10-fold increase in potency. This compound forms a stable covalent bond with Cys74 of ATG4B in a 1:1 ratio as demonstrated by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Furthermore, this compound displayed cellular ATG4B inhibition activity. Overall, the novel TR-FRET ATG4B protease assay plus counterscreen assay provides a robust platform to identify ATG4B inhibitors, which would help to elucidate the mechanism of the autophagy pathway and offer opportunities for drug discovery.

Discovery of Fluoromethylketone-Based Peptidomimetics as Covalent ATG4B (Autophagin-1) Inhibitors.

ATG4B or autophagin-1 is a cysteine protease that cleaves ATG8 family proteins. ATG4B plays essential roles in the autophagosome formation and the autophagy pathway. Herein we disclose the design and structural modifications of a series of fluoromethylketone (FMK)-based peptidomimetics as highly potent ATG4B inhibitors. Their structure-activity relationship (SAR) and protease selectivity are also discussed.

Design and Synthesis of Orally Bioavailable 4-Methyl Heteroaryldihydropyrimidine Based Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Capsid Inhibitors.

Targeting the capsid protein of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and thus interrupting normal capsid formation have been an attractive approach to block the replication of HBV viruses. We carried out multidimensional structural optimizations based on the heteroaryldihydropyrimidine (HAP) analogue Bay41-4109 (1) and identified a novel series of HBV capsid inhibitors that demonstrated promising cellular selectivity indexes, metabolic stabilities, and in vitro safety profiles. Herein we disclose the design, synthesis, structure-activity relationship (SAR), cocrystal structure in complex with HBV capsid proteins and in vivo pharmacological study of the 4-methyl HAP analogues. In particular, the (2S,4S)-4,4-difluoroproline substituted analogue 34a demonstrated high oral bioavailability and liver exposure and achieved over 2 log viral load reduction in a hydrodynamic injected (HDI) HBV mouse model.

Design and synthesis of orally bioavailable aminopyrrolidinone histone deacetylase 6 inhibitors.

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) removes the acetyl group from lysine residues in a number of non-histone substrates and plays important roles in microtubule dynamics and chaperone activities. There is growing interest in identifying HDAC6-selective inhibitors as chemical biology tools and ultimately as new therapeutic agents. Herein we report the design, synthesis, and phenotypic screening of a novel class of 3-aminopyrrolidinone-based hydroxamic acids as HDAC6 inhibitors. In particular, the α-methyl-substituted enantiomer 33 (3-S) showed significant in-cell tubulin acetylation (Tub-Ac) with an EC50 of 0.30 µM but limited impact on p21 levels at various concentrations. In enzyme inhibition assays, 33 demonstrated high selectivity for HDAC6 with an IC50 of 0.017 µM and selectivity indexes of 10 against HDAC8 and over 4000 against HDAC1-3 isoforms. Moreover, 33 has suitable drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics properties compared with other hydroxamic acid-based HDAC inhibitors, warranting further biological studies and development as a selective HDAC6 inhibitor.

Identification of a novel aminotetralin class of HDAC6 and HDAC8 selective inhibitors.

Herein we report the identification of a novel class of HDAC6 and HDAC8 selective inhibitors through a unique chemistry and phenotypic screening strategy. Tetrahydroisoquinoline 12 was identified as a potent HDAC6 and HDAC8 dual inhibitor from a focused library through cellular tubulin acetylation and p21 induction screening assays. Scaffold hopping from 12 led to the discovery of an aminotetralin class of HDAC inhibitors. In particular, the 3-R stereoisomer 32 showed highly potent inhibition against HDAC6 and HDAC8 with IC50 values of 50 and 80 nM, respectively. Treatment of neuroblastoma BE(2)C cells with 32 resulted in elevated levels of acetylated tubulin, TrkA, and neurite outgrowth with only marginal effects on p21 induction and histone H3 acetylation. Consistent with its weak enzymatic inhibition of HDAC1, 32 showed significantly less cytotoxicity than SAHA and moderately inhibited the growth of myeloma NCI-H929 and OPM-2 cells.

Pharmacokinetic optimization of class-selective histone deacetylase inhibitors and identification of associated candidate predictive biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma tumor response.

Herein, we describe the pharmacokinetic optimization of a series of class-selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors and the subsequent identification of candidate predictive biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor response for our clinical lead using patient-derived HCC tumor xenograft models. Through a combination of conformational constraint and scaffold hopping, we lowered the in vivo clearance (CL) and significantly improved the bioavailability (F) and exposure (AUC) of our HDAC inhibitors while maintaining selectivity toward the class I HDAC family with particular potency against HDAC1, resulting in clinical lead 5 (HDAC1 IC50 = 60 nM, mouse CL = 39 mL/min/kg, mouse F = 100%, mouse AUC after single oral dose at 10 mg/kg = 6316 h·ng/mL). We then evaluated 5 in a biomarker discovery pilot study using patient-derived tumor xenograft models, wherein two out of the three models responded to treatment. By comparing tumor response status to compound tumor exposure, induction of acetylated histone H3, candidate gene expression changes, and promoter DNA methylation status from all three models at various time points, we identified preliminary candidate response prediction biomarkers that warrant further validation in a larger cohort of patient-derived tumor models and through confirmatory functional studies.

Inhibition of influenza A virus (H1N1) fusion by benzenesulfonamide derivatives targeting viral hemagglutinin.

Hemagglutinin (HA) of the influenza virus plays a crucial role in the early stage of the viral life cycle by binding to sialic acid on the surface of host epithelial cells and mediating fusion between virus envelope and endosome membrane for the release of viral genomes into the cytoplasm. To initiate virus fusion, endosome pH is lowered by acidification causing an irreversible conformational change of HA, which in turn results in a fusogenic HA. In this study, we describe characterization of an HA inhibitor of influenza H1N1 viruses, RO5464466. One-cycle time course study in MDCK cells showed that this compound acted at an early step of influenza virus replication. Results from HA-mediated hemolysis of chicken red blood cells and trypsin sensitivity assay of isolated HA clearly showed that RO5464466 targeted HA. In cell-based assays involving multiple rounds of virus infection and replication, RO5464466 inhibited an established influenza infection. The overall production of progeny viruses, as a result of the compound's inhibitory effect on fusion, was dramatically reduced by 8 log units when compared with a negative control. Furthermore, RO5487624, a close analogue of RO5464466, with pharmacokinetic properties suitable for in vivo efficacy studies displayed a protective effect on mice that were lethally challenged with influenza H1N1 virus. These results might benefit further characterization and development of novel anti-influenza agents by targeting viral hemagglutinin.

Design and synthesis of benzenesulfonamide derivatives as potent anti-influenza hemagglutinin inhibitors.

Structural optimization of salicylamide-based hemagglutinin (HA) inhibitor 1 resulted in the identification of cis-3-(5-hydroxy-1,3,3-trimethylcyclohexylmethylamino)benzenesulfonamide 28 and its derivatives as potent anti-influenza agents. The lead compound 28 and its 2-chloro analogue 40 can effectively prevent cytopathic effects (CPE) caused by infection of influenza A/Weiss/43 strain (H1N1) with EC50 values of 210 and 86 nM, respectively. Mechanism of action studies indicate that 40 and its analogues inhibit the virus fusion with host endosome membrane by binding to HA and stabilizing the prefusion HA structure. With significantly improved metabolic stability, the reported series represents the first generation of orally bioavailable HA inhibitors that have a good selectivity window and potential for further development as novel anti-influenza agents.

Exploration of piperidine-4-yl-aminopyrimidines as HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors. N-Phenyl derivatives with broad potency against resistant mutant viruses.

Further investigation of the recently reported piperidine-4-yl-aminopyrimidine class of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) has been carried out. Thus, preparation of a series of N-phenyl piperidine analogs resulted in the identification of 3-carboxamides as a particularly active series. Analogs such as 28 and 40 are very potent versus wild-type HIV-1 and a broad range of NNRTI-resistant mutant viruses. Synthesis, structure-activity relationship (SAR), clearance data, and crystallographic evidence for the binding motif are discussed.

Discovery of novel 1-phenyl-cycloalkane carbamides as potent and selective influenza fusion inhibitors.

A novel class of HA inhibitors (4a) was identified based on ligand similarity search of known HA inhibitors. Parallel synthesis and further structural modifications resulted in 1-phenyl-cyclopentanecarboxylic acid (4-cyano-phenyl)-methyl-amide 4t as a potent and selective inhibitor to phylogenetic H1 influenza viruses with an EC(50) of 98 nM against H1N1 A/Weiss/43 strain and over 1000-fold selectivity against host MDCK cells.

Acylpyrogallols as inhibitors of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins.

A series of acylpyrogallols were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as small-molecule inhibitors of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. The most potent compound 9 (TM-179) binds to Bcl-2 with an IC50 of 170 nM and to Mcl-1 with a Ki of 37 nM. Compound 9 potently inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in human breast and prostate cancer cell lines.

Structure-based design of flavonoid compounds as a new class of small-molecule inhibitors of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins.

Structure-based strategy was employed to design flavonoid compounds to mimic the Bim BH3 peptide as a new class of inhibitors of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. The most potent compound, 4 (BI-33), binds to Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 with Ki values of 17 and 18 nM, respectively. Compound 4 inhibits cell growth in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line with an IC50 value of 110 nM and effectively induces apoptosis.

Pyrogallol-based molecules as potent inhibitors of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins.

We report herein a new class of small-molecule inhibitors of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. The most potent compound, 7, binds to Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 proteins with Ki of 110, 638, and 150 nM, respectively. Compound 7 is highly effective in induction of cell death in breast cancer cells with high levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 proteins and represents a promising lead compound for the design of new anticancer drugs.

Structure-based design of potent small-molecule inhibitors of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins.

A structure-based approach was employed to design a new class of small-molecule inhibitors of Bcl-2. The most potent compound 5 (TW-37) binds to Bcl-2 with a K(i) value of 290 nM and also to Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 with high affinities. Compound 5 potently inhibits cell growth in PC-3 prostate cancer cells with an IC(50) value of 200 nM and effectively induces apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner.

Synthesis of 7-substituted benzolactam-V8s and their selectivity for protein kinase C isozymes.

[reaction: see text] Condensation of L-valine benzyl ester toluenesulfonic acid salt with a substituted cyclohexadione followed by aromatization with the assistance of NBS provides an N-aryl L-valine benzyl ester. This intermediate is converted into 7-substituted benzolactam-V8s using an asymmetric Strecker reaction as the key step. The target molecules show a different pattern of isozyme selectivity relative to the 8-substituted benzolactam-V8s.