Discovery of Entrectinib: A New 3-Aminoindazole As a Potent Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK), c-ros Oncogene 1 Kinase (ROS1), and Pan-Tropomyosin Receptor Kinases (Pan-TRKs) inhibitor.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor tyrosine kinase responsible for the development of different tumor types. Despite the remarkable clinical activity of crizotinib (Xalkori), the first ALK inhibitor approved in 2011, the emergence of resistance mutations and of brain metastases frequently causes relapse in patients. Within our ALK drug discovery program, we identified compound 1, a novel 3-aminoindazole active on ALK in biochemical and in cellular assays. Its optimization led to compound 2 (entrectinib), a potent orally available ALK inhibitor active on ALK-dependent cell lines, efficiently penetrant the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in different animal species and highly efficacious in in vivo xenograft models. Moreover, entrectinib resulted to be strictly potent on the closely related tyrosine kinases ROS1 and TRKs recently found constitutively activated in several tumor types. Entrectinib is currently undergoing phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of patients affected by ALK-, ROS1-, and TRK-positive tumors.

Cdc7 kinase inhibitors: 5-heteroaryl-3-carboxamido-2-aryl pyrroles as potential antitumor agents. 1. Lead finding.

Cdc7 serine/threonine kinase is a key regulator of DNA synthesis in eukaryotic organisms. Cdc7 inhibition through siRNA or prototype small molecules causes p53 independent apoptosis in tumor cells while reversibly arresting cell cycle progression in primary fibroblasts. This implies that Cdc7 kinase could be considered a potential target for anticancer therapy. We previously reported that pyrrolopyridinones (e.g., 1) are potent and selective inhibitors of Cdc7 kinase, with good cellular potency and in vitro ADME properties but with suboptimal pharmacokinetic profiles. Here we report on a new chemical class of 5-heteroaryl-3-carboxamido-2-substituted pyrroles (1A) that offers advantages of chemistry diversification and synthetic simplification. This work led to the identification of compound 18, with biochemical data and ADME profile similar to those of compound 1 but characterized by superior efficacy in an in vivo model. Derivative 18 represents a new lead compound worthy of further investigation toward the ultimate goal of identifying a clinical candidate.

Cell division cycle 7 kinase inhibitors: 1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridines, synthesis and structure-activity relationships.

Cdc7 kinase has recently emerged as an attractive target for cancer therapy and low-molecular-weight inhibitors of Cdc7 kinase have been found to be effective in the inhibition of tumor growth in animal models. In this paper, we describe synthesis and structure-activity relationships of new 1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine derivatives identified as inhibitors of Cdc7 kinase. Progress from (Z)-2-phenyl-5-(1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-3-ylmethylene)-3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-one (1) to [(Z)-2-(benzylamino)-5-(1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-3-ylmethylene)-1,3-thiazol-4(5H)-one] (42), a potent ATP mimetic inhibitor of Cdc7 kinase with IC(50) value of 7 nM, is also reported.

First Cdc7 kinase inhibitors: pyrrolopyridinones as potent and orally active antitumor agents. 2. Lead discovery.

Cdc7 kinase is a key regulator of the S-phase of the cell cycle, known to promote the activation of DNA replication origins in eukaryotic organisms. Cdc7 inhibition can cause tumor-cell death in a p53-independent manner, supporting the rationale for developing Cdc7 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. In this paper, we conclude the structure-activity relationships study of the 2-heteroaryl-pyrrolopyridinone class of compounds that display potent inhibitory activity against Cdc7 kinase. Furthermore, we also describe the discovery of 89S, [(S)-2-(2-aminopyrimidin-4-yl)-7-(2-fluoro-ethyl)-1,5,6,7-tetrahydropyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridin-4-one], as a potent ATP mimetic inhibitor of Cdc7. Compound 89S has a Ki value of 0.5 nM, inhibits cell proliferation of different tumor cell lines with an IC50 in the submicromolar range, and exhibits in vivo tumor growth inhibition of 68% in the A2780 xenograft model.

A Cdc7 kinase inhibitor restricts initiation of DNA replication and has antitumor activity.

Cdc7 is an essential kinase that promotes DNA replication by activating origins of replication. Here, we characterized the potent Cdc7 inhibitor PHA-767491 (1) in biochemical and cell-based assays, and we tested its antitumor activity in rodents. We found that the compound blocks DNA synthesis and affects the phosphorylation of the replicative DNA helicase at Cdc7-dependent phosphorylation sites. Unlike current DNA synthesis inhibitors, PHA-767491 prevents the activation of replication origins but does not impede replication fork progression, and it does not trigger a sustained DNA damage response. Treatment with PHA-767491 results in apoptotic cell death in multiple cancer cell types and tumor growth inhibition in preclinical cancer models. To our knowledge, PHA-767491 is the first molecule that directly affects the mechanisms controlling initiation as opposed to elongation in DNA replication, and its activities suggest that Cdc7 kinase inhibition could be a new strategy for the development of anticancer therapeutics.

Cdc7 kinase inhibitors: pyrrolopyridinones as potential antitumor agents. 1. Synthesis and structure-activity relationships.

Cdc7 kinase is an essential protein that promotes DNA replication in eukaryotic organisms. Genetic evidence indicates that Cdc7 inhibition can cause selective tumor-cell death in a p53-independent manner, supporting the rationale for developing Cdc7 small-molecule inhibitors for the treatment of cancers. In this paper, the synthesis and structure-activity relationships of 2-heteroaryl-pyrrolopyridinones, the first potent Cdc7 kinase inhibitors, are described. Starting from 2-pyridin-4-yl-1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridin-4-one, progress toward a simple scaffold, tailored for Cdc7 inhibition, is reported.

Catecholic flavonoids acting as telomerase inhibitors.

In recent years telomerase has been identified as a new promising target in oncology and consequently new telomerase inhibitors have been intensely explored as anticancer agents. Focused screening of several polyhydroxylated flavonoids has allowed us to identify 7,8,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone 1 as a new telomerase inhibitor with an interesting in vitro activity in a Flash-Plate assay (IC50 = 0.2 microM) that has been confirmed in the classical TRAP assay. Starting from this compound, we developed a medicinal chemistry program to optimize our lead, and in particular to replace one of the two catechols with potential bioisosteres. From this study, new structural analogues characterized by submicromolar potencies have been obtained. Their synthesis and biological activity are described.