Optimization of a Screening Hit toward M2912, an Oral Tankyrase Inhibitor with Antitumor Activity in Colorectal Cancer Models.

Constitutive activation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, in most cases driven by inactivation of the tumor suppressor APC, is a hallmark of colorectal cancer. Tankyrases are druggable key regulators in these malignancies and are considered as attractive targets for therapeutic interventions, although no inhibitor has been progressed to clinical development yet. We continued our efforts to develop tankyrase inhibitors targeting the nicotinamide pocket with suitable drug-like properties for investigating effects of Wnt pathway inhibition on tumor growth. Herein, the identification of a screening hit series and its optimization through scaffold hopping and SAR exploration is described. The systematic assessment delivered M2912, a compound with an optimal balance between excellent TNKS potency, exquisite PARP selectivity, and a predicted human PK compatible with once daily oral dosing. Modulation of cellular Wnt pathway activity and significant tumor growth inhibition was demonstrated with this compound in colorectal xenograft models in vivo.

Discovery of potent, orally bioavailable, small-molecule inhibitors of WNT signaling from a cell-based pathway screen.

WNT signaling is frequently deregulated in malignancy, particularly in colon cancer, and plays a key role in the generation and maintenance of cancer stem cells. We report the discovery and optimization of a 3,4,5-trisubstituted pyridine 9 using a high-throughput cell-based reporter assay of WNT pathway activity. We demonstrate a twisted conformation about the pyridine-piperidine bond of 9 by small-molecule X-ray crystallography. Medicinal chemistry optimization to maintain this twisted conformation, cognisant of physicochemical properties likely to maintain good cell permeability, led to 74 (CCT251545), a potent small-molecule inhibitor of WNT signaling with good oral pharmacokinetics. We demonstrate inhibition of WNT pathway activity in a solid human tumor xenograft model with evidence for tumor growth inhibition following oral dosing. This work provides a successful example of hypothesis-driven medicinal chemistry optimization from a singleton hit against a cell-based pathway assay without knowledge of the biochemical target.