Fragment based discovery of a novel and selective PI3 kinase inhibitor.

We report the use of fragment screening and fragment based drug design to develop a PI3γ kinase fragment hit into a lead. Initial fragment hits were discovered by high concentration biochemical screening, followed by a round of virtual screening to identify additional ligand efficient fragments. These were developed into potent and ligand efficient lead compounds using structure guided fragment growing and merging strategies. This led to a potent, selective, and cell permeable PI3γ kinase inhibitor with good metabolic stability that was useful as a preclinical tool compound.

The discovery of adamantyl-derived, inhaled, long acting beta(2)-adrenoreceptor agonists.

The design and profile of a series of adamantyl-containing long acting beta(2)-adrenoreceptor agonists are described. An optimal pharmacokinetic profile of low oral bioavailability was combined with a strong pharmacology profile when assessed using a guinea pig trachea tissue model. A focus was then placed on developing a robust synthetic route to ensure rapid delivery of material for clinical trials.

Design and synthesis of inhaled p38 inhibitors for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This paper describes the identification and optimization of a novel series of DFG-out binding p38 inhibitors as inhaled agents for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Structure based drug design and "inhalation by design" principles have been applied to the optimization of the lead series exemplied by compound 1a. Analogues have been designed to be potent and selective for p38, with an emphasis on slow enzyme dissociation kinetics to deliver prolonged lung p38 inhibition. Pharmacokinetic properties were tuned with high intrinsic clearance and low oral bioavailability in mind, to minimize systemic exposure and reduce systemically driven adverse events. High CYP mediated clearance and glucuronidation were targeted to achieve high intrinsic clearance coupled with multiple routes of clearance to minimize drug-drug interactions. Furthermore, pharmaceutical properties such as stability, crystallinity, and solubility were considered to ensure compatibility with a dry powder inhaler. 1ab (PF-03715455) was subsequently identified as a clinical candidate from this series with efficacy and safety profiles confirming its potential as an inhaled agent for the treatment of COPD.

Inhalation by design: novel ultra-long-acting ß(2)-adrenoreceptor agonists for inhaled once-daily treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that utilize a sulfonamide agonist headgroup.

A novel series of potent and selective sulfonamide derived ß(2)-adrenoreceptor agonists are described that exhibit potential as inhaled ultra-long-acting bronchodilators for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Analogues from this series mediate very long-lasting smooth muscle relaxation in guinea pig tracheal strips. The sulfonamide agonist headgroup confers high levels of intrinsic crystallinity that could relate to the acidic sulfonamide motif supporting a zwitterionic form in the solid state. Optimization of pharmacokinetic properties was achieved through targeted introduction of a phenolic moiety to support rapid phase II clearance, thereby minimizing systemic exposure following inhalation and reducing systemically mediated adverse events. Compound 38 (PF-610355) is identified as a clinical candidate from this series, with in vivo duration of action studies confirming its potential for once-daily use in humans. Compound 38 is currently in advanced phase II clinical studies.

Tagged phosphine reagents to assist reaction work-up by phase-switched scavenging using a modular flow reactor.

The use of three orthogonally tagged phosphine reagents to assist chemical work-up via phase-switch scavenging in conjunction with a modular flow reactor is described. These techniques (acidic, basic and Click chemistry) are used to prepare various amides and tri-substituted guanidines from in situ generated iminophosphoranes.

The discovery of long acting beta2-adrenoreceptor agonists.

The design and profile of a series of saligenin containing long acting beta(2)-adrenoreceptor agonists is described. Evaluation of these analogues using a guinea-pig tissue model demonstrates that analogues within this series have significantly longer durations of action than salmeterol and have the potential for a once daily profile in human.

The discovery of indole-derived long acting beta2-adrenoceptor agonists for the treatment of asthma and COPD.

The design and profile of a series of indole containing long acting beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists is described. Evaluation of these analogues using an in vitro guinea pig trachea tissue model demonstrates that analogues within this series have salmeterol-like duration of action with potential for long duration of action in humans.

A phase-switch purification approach for the expedient removal of tagged reagents and scavengers following their application in organic synthesis.

In this paper we wish to report on a variety of expedient chemical transformations and purifications achieved via a generic "catch and release" methodology, based on a synthetically inert bipyridyl chelating tag that can be selectively captured with a resin-bound copper(II) species. Utilising this approach we are able to derive many of the same benefits associated with both solid phase synthesis and supported reagent methods.