Design and Synthesis of Clinical Candidate PF-06852231 (CVL-231): A Brain Penetrant, Selective, Positive Allosteric Modulator of the M4 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor.

Selective activation of the M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtype offers a novel strategy for the treatment of psychosis in multiple neurological disorders. Although the development of traditional muscarinic activators has been stymied due to pan-receptor activation, muscarinic receptor subtype selectivity can be achieved through the utilization of a subtype of a unique allosteric site. A major challenge in capitalizing on this allosteric site to date has been achieving a balance of suitable potency and brain penetration. Herein, we describe the design of a brain penetrant series of M4 selective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs), ultimately culminating in the identification of 21 (PF-06852231, now CVL-231/emraclidine), which is under active clinical development as a novel mechanism and approach for the treatment of schizophrenia.

NVL-520 Is a Selective, TRK-Sparing, and Brain-Penetrant Inhibitor of ROS1 Fusions and Secondary Resistance Mutations.

SIGNIFICANCE: The combined preclinical features of NVL-520 that include potent targeting of ROS1 and diverse ROS1 resistance mutations, high selectivity for ROS1 G2032R over TRK, and brain penetration mark the development of a distinct ROS1 TKI with the potential to surpass the limitations of earlier-generation TKIs for ROS1 fusion-positive patients. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 517.

Potent α-Synuclein Aggregation Inhibitors, Identified by High-Throughput Screening, Mainly Target the Monomeric State.

α-Synuclein (αSN) aggregation is central to the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Large-scale screening of compounds to identify aggregation inhibitors is challenged by stochastic αSN aggregation and difficulties in detecting early-stage oligomers (αSOs). We developed a high-throughput screening assay combining SDS-stimulated αSN aggregation with FRET to reproducibly detect initial stages in αSN aggregation. We screened 746,000 compounds, leading to 58 hits that markedly inhibit αSN aggregation and reduce αSOs' membrane permeabilization activity. The most effective aggregation inhibitors were derivatives of (4-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)sulfonamide. They interacted strongly with the N-terminal part of monomeric αSN and reduced αSO-membrane interactions, possibly by affecting electrostatic interactions. Several compounds reduced αSO toxicity toward neuronal cell lines. The inhibitors introduced chemical modifications of αSN that were, however, not a prerequisite for inhibitory activity. We also identified several phenyl-benzoxazol compounds that promoted αSN aggregation (proaggregators). These compounds may be useful tools to modulate αSN aggregation in cellula.

Discovery of 3-Cyano- N-(3-(1-isobutyrylpiperidin-4-yl)-1-methyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)-1 H-pyrrolo[2,3- b]pyridin-5-yl)benzamide: A Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Retinoic Acid Receptor-Related Orphan Receptor C2 Inverse Agonist.

The nuclear hormone receptor retinoic acid receptor-related orphan C2 (RORC2, also known as RORγt) is a promising target for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. A small molecule, inverse agonist of the receptor is anticipated to reduce production of IL-17, a key proinflammatory cytokine. Through a high-throughput screening approach, we identified a molecule displaying promising binding affinity for RORC2, inhibition of IL-17 production in Th17 cells, and selectivity against the related RORA and RORB receptor isoforms. Lead optimization to improve the potency and metabolic stability of this hit focused on two key design strategies, namely, iterative optimization driven by increasing lipophilic efficiency and structure-guided conformational restriction to achieve optimal ground state energetics and maximize receptor residence time. This approach successfully identified 3-cyano- N-(3-(1-isobutyrylpiperidin-4-yl)-1-methyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)-1 H-pyrrolo[2,3- b]pyridin-5-yl)benzamide as a potent and selective RORC2 inverse agonist, demonstrating good metabolic stability, oral bioavailability, and the ability to reduce IL-17 levels and skin inflammation in a preclinical in vivo animal model upon oral administration.

Discovery of Trifluoromethyl Glycol Carbamates as Potent and Selective Covalent Monoacylglycerol Lipase (MAGL) Inhibitors for Treatment of Neuroinflammation.

Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibition provides a potential treatment approach to neuroinflammation through modulation of both the endocannabinoid pathway and arachidonoyl signaling in the central nervous system (CNS). Herein we report the discovery of compound 15 (PF-06795071), a potent and selective covalent MAGL inhibitor, featuring a novel trifluoromethyl glycol leaving group that confers significant physicochemical property improvements as compared with earlier inhibitor series with more lipophilic leaving groups. The design strategy focused on identifying an optimized leaving group that delivers MAGL potency, serine hydrolase selectivity, and CNS exposure while simultaneously reducing log  D, improving solubility, and minimizing chemical lability. Compound 15 achieves excellent CNS exposure, extended 2-AG elevation effect in vivo, and decreased brain inflammatory markers in response to an inflammatory challenge.

Impaired ß-arrestin recruitment and reduced desensitization by non-catechol agonists of the D1 dopamine receptor.

Selective activation of dopamine D1 receptors (D1Rs) has been pursued for 40 years as a therapeutic strategy for neurologic and psychiatric diseases due to the fundamental role of D1Rs in motor function, reward processing, and cognition. All known D1R-selective agonists are catechols, which are rapidly metabolized and desensitize the D1R after prolonged exposure, reducing agonist response. As such, drug-like selective D1R agonists have remained elusive. Here we report a novel series of selective, potent non-catechol D1R agonists with promising in vivo pharmacokinetic properties. These ligands stimulate adenylyl cyclase signaling and are efficacious in a rodent model of Parkinson's disease after oral administration. They exhibit distinct binding to the D1R orthosteric site and a novel functional profile including minimal receptor desensitization, reduced recruitment of ß-arrestin, and sustained in vivo efficacy. These results reveal a novel class of D1 agonists with favorable drug-like properties, and define the molecular basis for catechol-specific recruitment of ß-arrestin to D1Rs.

Azetidine and Piperidine Carbamates as Efficient, Covalent Inhibitors of Monoacylglycerol Lipase.

Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is the main enzyme responsible for degradation of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the CNS. MAGL catalyzes the conversion of 2-AG to arachidonic acid (AA), a precursor to the proinflammatory eicosannoids such as prostaglandins. Herein we describe highly efficient MAGL inhibitors, identified through a parallel medicinal chemistry approach that highlighted the improved efficiency of azetidine and piperidine-derived carbamates. The discovery and optimization of 3-substituted azetidine carbamate irreversible inhibitors of MAGL were aided by the generation of inhibitor-bound MAGL crystal structures. Compound 6, a highly efficient and selective MAGL inhibitor against recombinant enzyme and in a cellular context, was tested in vivo and shown to elevate central 2-AG levels at a 10 mg/kg dose.

Identification and Profiling of a Selective and Brain Penetrant Radioligand for in Vivo Target Occupancy Measurement of Casein Kinase 1 (CK1) Inhibitors.

To enable the clinical development of our CNS casein kinase 1 delta/epsilon (CK1δ/ε) inhibitor project, we investigated the possibility of developing a CNS positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand. For this effort, we focused our design and synthesis efforts on the initial CK1δ/ε inhibitor HTS hits with the goal of identifying a compound that would fulfill a set of recommended PET ligand criteria. We identified [3H]PF-5236216 (9) as a tool ligand that meets most of the key CNS PET attributes including high CNS MPO PET desirability score and kinase selectivity, CNS penetration, and low nonspecific binding. We further used [3H]-9 to determine the binding affinity for PF-670462, a literature CK1δ/ε inhibitor tool compound. Lastly, [3H]-9 was used to measure in vivo target occupancy (TO) of PF-670462 in mouse and correlated TO with CK1δ/ε in vivo pharmacology (circadian rhythm modulation).

Application of Structure-Based Design and Parallel Chemistry to Identify a Potent, Selective, and Brain Penetrant Phosphodiesterase 2A Inhibitor.

Phosphodiesterase 2A (PDE2A) inhibitors have been reported to demonstrate in vivo activity in preclinical models of cognition. To more fully explore the biology of PDE2A inhibition, we sought to identify potent PDE2A inhibitors with improved brain penetration as compared to current literature compounds. Applying estimated human dose calculations while simultaneously leveraging synthetically enabled chemistry and structure-based drug design has resulted in a highly potent, selective, brain penetrant compound 71 (PF-05085727) that effects in vivo biochemical changes commensurate with PDE2A inhibition along with behavioral and electrophysiological reversal of the effects of NMDA antagonists in rodents. This data supports the ability of PDE2A inhibitors to potentiate NMDA signaling and their further development for clinical cognition indications.

Mapping the Binding Site of BMS-708163 on γ-Secretase with Cleavable Photoprobes.

γ-Secretase, a four-subunit transmembrane aspartic proteinase, is a highly valued drug target in Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Despite significant progress in structural studies, the respective molecular mechanisms and binding modes of γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs) and modulators (GSMs) remain uncertain. Here, we developed biotinylated cleavable-linker photoprobes based on the BMS-708163 GSI to study its interaction with γ-secretase. Comparison of four cleavable linkers indicated that the hydrazine-labile N-1-(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclohexylidene)ethyl (Dde) linker was cleaved most efficiently to release photolabeled and affinity-captured presenilin-1 (PS1), the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase. Peptide mapping showed that the BMS-708163-based probe photoinserted at L282 of PS1. This insertion site was consistent with the results of molecular dynamics simulations of the γ-secretase complex with inhibitor. Taken together, this work reveals the binding site of a GSI and offers insights into the mechanism of action of this class of inhibitors.

Dopamine D1 receptor-agonist interactions: A mutagenesis and homology modeling study.

The dopamine D1 receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor that regulates intracellular signaling via agonist activation. Although the number of solved GPCR X-ray structures has been steadily increasing, still no structure of the D1 receptor exists. We have used site-directed mutagenesis of 12 orthosteric vicinity residues of possible importance to G protein-coupled activation to examine the function of prototypical orthosteric D1 agonists and partial agonists. We find that residues from four different regions of the D1 receptor make significant contributions to agonist function. All compounds studied, which are catechol-amines, are found to interact with the previously identified residues: the conserved D103(3.32), as well as the trans-membrane V serine residues. Additional key interactions are found for trans-membrane VI residues F288(6.51), F289(6.52) and N292(6.55), as well as the extra-cellular loop residue L190(ECL2). Molecular dynamics simulations of a D1 homology model have been used to help put the ligand-residue interactions into context. Finally, we considered the rescaling of fold-shift data as a method to account for the change in the size of the mutated side-chain and found that this rescaling helps to relate the calculated ligand-residue energies with observed experimental fold-shifts.

Casein kinase 1δ/ε inhibitor PF-5006739 attenuates opioid drug-seeking behavior.

Casein kinase 1 delta (CK1δ) and casein kinase 1 epsilon (CK1ε) inhibitors are potential therapeutic agents for a range of psychiatric disorders. The feasibility of developing a CNS kinase inhibitor has been limited by an inability to identify safe brain-penetrant compounds with high kinome selectivity. Guided by structure-based drug design, potent and selective CK1δ/ε inhibitors have now been identified that address this gap, through the design and synthesis of novel 4-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-imidazol-5-yl]pyrimidin-2-amine derivatives. PF-5006739 (6) possesses a desirable profile, with low nanomolar in vitro potency for CK1δ/ε (IC50 = 3.9 and 17.0 nM, respectively) and high kinome selectivity. In vivo, 6 demonstrated robust centrally mediated circadian rhythm phase-delaying effects in both nocturnal and diurnal animal models. Further, 6 dose-dependently attenuated opioid drug-seeking behavior in a rodent operant reinstatement model in animals trained to self-administer fentanyl. Collectively, our data supports further development of 6 as a promising candidate to test the hypothesis of CK1δ/ε inhibition in treating multiple indications in the clinic.

Ligand-protein interactions of selective casein kinase 1δ inhibitors.

Casein kinase 1δ (CK1δ) and 1ε (CK1ε) are believed to be necessary enzymes for the regulation of circadian rhythms in all mammals. On the basis of our previously published work demonstrating a CK1ε-preferring compound to be an ineffective circadian clock modulator, we have synthesized a series of pyrazole-substitued pyridine inhibitors, selective for the CK1δ isoform. Additionally, using structure-based drug design, we have been able to exploit differences in the hinge region between CK1δ and p38 to find selective inhibitors that have minimal p38 activity. The SAR, brain exposure, and the effect of these inhibitors on mouse circadian rhythms are described. The in vivo evaluation of these inhibitors demonstrates that selective inhibition of CK1δ at sufficient central exposure levels is capable of modulating circadian rhythms.

The use of the R language for medicinal chemistry applications.

This manuscript serves as a review of how the R language has been used in the last decade to address problems related to medicinal chemistry design. This includes the use of the R language for chemoinformatics applications and interfaces, as well as statistical modeling for ADMET and potency endpoints. Additionally, a few examples of R code are provided to demonstrate the ability of this language to make available cutting-edge statistical analysis to the medicinal chemistry design community.

Exploring aromatic chemical space with NEAT: novel and electronically equivalent aromatic template.

In this paper, we describe a lead transformation tool, NEAT (Novel and Electronically equivalent Aromatic Template), which can help identify novel aromatic rings that are estimated to have similar electrostatic potentials, dipoles, and hydrogen bonding capabilities to a query template; hence, they may offer similar bioactivity profiles. In this work, we built a comprehensive heteroaryl database, and precalculated high-level quantum mechanical (QM) properties, including electrostatic potential charges, hydrogen bonding ability, dipole moments, chemical reactivity, and othe properties. NEAT bioisosteric similarities are based on the electrostatic potential surface calculated by Brood, using the precalculated QM ESP charges and other QM properties. Compared with existing commercial lead transformation software, (1) NEAT is the only one that covers the comprehensive heteroaryl chemical space, and (2) NEAT offers a better characterization of novel aryl cores by using high-evel QM properties that are relevant to molecular interactions. NEAT provides unique value to medicinal chemists quickly exploring the largely uncharted aromatic chemical space, and one successful example of its application is discussed herein.

Strategies to minimize CNS toxicity: in vitro high-throughput assays and computational modeling.

INTRODUCTION: Healthy functioning of the brain is dependent on the ability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and other central nervous system (CNS) barriers to protect the neurocompartments from potential disruptive and damaging xenobiotic agents. In vitro high-throughput (HT) screens and computational models that assess a compound's ability to pass through or disrupt the BBB have become important tools in the identification of new well-tolerated peripheral drugs and safer chemical products such as pesticides. Leveraging these HT in vitro assays and computational BBB tools together with the current understanding of brain penetration may enable the drug discovery community to minimize access of drug candidates into the CNS compartment. AREAS COVERED: This article reviews aspects of the most recent in vitro and computational approaches designed to provide an early assessment of a compound's ability to access the neurocompartment. This article also provides insight into using these tools to identify compounds that have restricted access to the neurocompartment. EXPERT OPINION: The development of safer peripheral-acting medicines and chemical products can be achieved through prospective design and early assessment with HT assays of the BBB in conjunction with computational models. Exclusion or significantly reduced access of a compound to the neurocompartment will increase the odds of identifying a compound with reduced CNS-related adverse drug reactions. A holistic approach to compound design and evaluation that incorporates prospective design principles (e.g., optimization of physicochemical properties), leverages HT in vitro assays and integrates the use of BBB computational models may yield the 'best-in-class' peripherally acting product.

Measurement of atropisomer racemization kinetics using segmented flow technology.

When stable atropisomers are encountered by drug discovery teams, they can have important implications due to potential differences in their biological activity, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity. Knowledge of an atropisomer's activation parameters for interconversion is required to facilitate informed decisions on how to proceed. Herein, we communicate the development of a new method for the rapid measurement of atropisomer racemization kinetics utilizing segmented flow technology. This method leverages the speed, accuracy, low sample requirement, safety, and semiautomated nature of flow instrumentation to facilitate the acquisition of kinetics data required for experimentally probing atropisomer activation parameters. Measured kinetics data obtained for the atropo isomerization of AMPA antagonist CP-465021 using segmented flow and traditional thermal methods were compared to validate the method.

Getting the MAX out of Computational Models: The Prediction of Unbound-Brain and Unbound-Plasma Maximum Concentrations.

The objective of this work was to establish that unbound maximum concentrations may be reasonably predicted from a combination of computed molecular properties assuming subcutaneous (SQ) dosing. Additionally, we show that the maximum unbound plasma and brain concentrations may be projected from a mixture of in vitro absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion experimental parameters in combination with computed properties (volume of distribution, fraction unbound in microsomes). Finally, we demonstrate the utility of the underlying equations by showing that the maximum total plasma concentrations can be projected from the experimental parameters for a set of compounds with data collected from clinical research.

Discovery of two clinical histamine H(3) receptor antagonists: trans-N-ethyl-3-fluoro-3-[3-fluoro-4-(pyrrolidinylmethyl)phenyl]cyclobutanecarboxamide (PF-03654746) and trans-3-fluoro-3-[3-fluoro-4-(pyrrolidin-1-ylmethyl)phenyl]-N-(2-methylpropyl)cyclobutanecarboxamide (PF-03654764).

The discovery of two histamine H(3) antagonist clinical candidates is disclosed. The pathway to identification of the two clinical candidates, 6 (PF-03654746) and 7 (PF-03654764) required five hypothesis driven design cycles. The key to success in identifying these clinical candidates was the development of a compound design strategy that leveraged medicinal chemistry knowledge and traditional assays in conjunction with computational and in vitro safety tools. Overall, clinical compounds 6 and 7 exceeded conservative safety margins and possessed optimal pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles, thus achieving our initial goal of identifying compounds with fully aligned oral drug attributes, "best-in-class" molecules.