A high throughput screen for next-generation leads targeting malaria parasite transmission.

Spread of parasite resistance to artemisinin threatens current frontline antimalarial therapies, highlighting the need for new drugs with alternative modes of action. Since only 0.2-1% of asexual parasites differentiate into sexual, transmission-competent forms, targeting this natural bottleneck provides a tangible route to interrupt disease transmission and mitigate resistance selection. Here we present a high-throughput screen of gametogenesis against a ~70,000 compound diversity library, identifying seventeen drug-like molecules that target transmission. Hit molecules possess varied activity profiles including male-specific, dual acting male-female and dual-asexual-sexual, with one promising N-((4-hydroxychroman-4-yl)methyl)-sulphonamide scaffold found to have sub-micromolar activity in vitro and in vivo efficacy. Development of leads with modes of action focussed on the sexual stages of malaria parasite development provide a previously unexplored base from which future therapeutics can be developed, capable of preventing parasite transmission through the population.

The discovery of a highly selective 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one SIRT2 inhibitor that is neuroprotective in an in vitro Parkinson's disease model.

Sirtuins, NAD(+) -dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs), have recently emerged as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of a variety of diseases. The discovery of potent and isoform-selective inhibitors of this enzyme family should provide chemical tools to help determine the roles of these targets and validate their therapeutic value. Herein, we report the discovery of a novel class of highly selective SIRT2 inhibitors, identified by pharmacophore screening. We report the identification and validation of 3-((2-methoxynaphthalen-1-yl)methyl)-7-((pyridin-3-ylmethyl)amino)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (ICL-SIRT078), a substrate-competitive SIRT2 inhibitor with a Ki value of 0.62 ± 0.15 µM and more than 50-fold selectivity against SIRT1, 3 and 5. Treatment of MCF-7 breast cancer cells with ICL-SIRT078 results in hyperacetylation of α-tubulin, an established SIRT2 biomarker, at doses comparable with the biochemical IC50 data, while suppressing MCF-7 proliferation at higher concentrations. In concordance with the recent reports that suggest SIRT2 inhibition is a potential strategy for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, we find that compound ICL-SIRT078 has a significant neuroprotective effect in a lactacystin-induced model of Parkinsonian neuronal cell death in the N27 cell line. These results encourage further investigation into the effects of ICL-SIRT078, or an optimised derivative thereof, as a candidate neuroprotective agent in in vivo models of Parkinson's disease.