New pyrazolo[1,5a]pyrimidines as orally active inhibitors of Lck.

A novel series of pyrazolo[1,5a]pyrimidines was optimized to target lymphocyte-specific kinase (Lck). An efficient synthetic route was developed and SAR studies toward activity and selectivity are described, leading to Lck inhibitors with enzymatic, cellular and in vivo potency.

Development of tridentate iron chelators: from desferrithiocin to ICL670.

Successful treatment of beta-thalassemia requires two key elements: blood transfusion and iron chelation. Regular blood transfusions considerably expand the lifespan of patients, however, without the removal of the consequential accumulation of body iron, few patients live beyond their second decade. In 1963, the introduction of desferrioxamine (DFO), a hexadentate chelator, marked a breakthrough in the treatment of beta-thalassemia. DFO significantly reduces body iron burden and iron-related morbidity and mortality. DFO is still the only drug for general use in the treatment of transfusion dependent iron overload. However, its very short plasma half-life and poor oral activity necessitate special modes of application (subcutaneous or intravenous infusion) which are inconvenient, can cause local reactions and are difficult to be accepted by many patients. Over the past four decades, many different laboratories have invested major efforts in the identification of orally active iron chelators from several hundreds of molecules of synthetic, microbial or plant origin. The discovery of ferrithiocin in 1980, followed by the synthesis of the tridentate chelator desferrithiocin and proof of its oral activity raised a lot of hope. However, the compound proved to be toxic in animals. Over a period of about fifteen years many desferrithiocin derivatives and molecules with broader alterations led to the discovery of numerous new compounds some of which were much better tolerated and were more efficacious than desferrithiocin in animals, however, none was safe enough to proceed to the clinical use. The discovery of a new chemical class of iron chelators: The bis-hydroxyphenyltriazoles re-energized the search for a safe tridentate chelator. The basic structure of this completely new chemical class of iron chelators was discovered by a combination of rational design, intuition and experience. More than forty derivatives of the triazole series were synthesized at Novartis. These compounds were evaluated, together with more than 700 chelators from various chemical classes. Using vigorous selection criteria with a focus on tolerability, the tridentate chelator 4-[(3,5-Bis-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2,4)triazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid (ICL670) emerged as an entity which best combined high oral potency and tolerability in animals. ICL670 is presently being evaluated in the clinic.

An oral sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P(1)) antagonist prodrug with efficacy in vivo: discovery, synthesis, and evaluation.

A prodrug approach to optimize the oral exposure of a series of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P(1)) antagonists for chronic efficacy studies led to the discovery of (S)-2-{[3'-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethylphenylsulfonylamino)-3,5-dimethylbiphenyl-4-carbonyl]methylamino}-4-dimethylaminobutyric acid methyl ester 14. Methyl ester prodrug 14 is hydrolyzed in vivo to the corresponding carboxylic acid 15, a potent and selective S1P(1) antagonist. Oral administration of the prodrug 14 induces sustained peripheral blood lymphocyte reduction in rats. In a rat cardiac transplantation model coadministration of a nonefficacious dose of prodrug 14 with a nonefficacious dose of sotrastaurin (19), a protein kinase C inhibitor, or everolimus (20), an mTOR inhibitor, effectively prolonged the survival time of rat cardiac allografts. This demonstrates that clinically useful immunomodulation mediated by the S1P(1) receptor can be achieved with an S1P(1) antagonist generated in vivo after oral administration of its prodrug.

A potent and selective S1P(1) antagonist with efficacy in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Lymphocyte trafficking is critically regulated by the Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1P(1)), a G protein-coupled receptor that has been highlighted as a promising therapeutic target in autoimmunity. Fingolimod (FTY720, Gilenya) is a S1P(1) receptor agonist that has recently been approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we report the discovery of NIBR-0213, a potent and selective S1P(1) antagonist that induces long-lasting reduction of peripheral blood lymphocyte counts after oral dosing. NIBR-0213 showed comparable therapeutic efficacy to fingolimod in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of human MS. These data provide convincing evidence that S1P(1) antagonists are effective in EAE. In addition, the profile of NIBR-0213 makes it an attractive candidate to further study the consequences of S1P(1) receptor antagonism and to differentiate the effects from those of S1P(1) agonists.

Discovery and SAR of potent, orally available and brain-penetrable 5,6-dihydro-4H-3-thia-1-aza-benzo[e]azulen- and 4,5-dihydro-6-oxa-3-thia-1-aza-benzo[e]azulen derivatives as neuropeptide Y Y5 receptor antagonists.

Combination of structural elements from a potent Y5 antagonist (2) with thiazole fragments that exhibit weak Y5 affinities followed by lead optimisation led to the discovery of (5,6-dihydro-4H-3-thia-1-aza-benzo[e]azulen-2-yl)-piperidin-4-ylmethyl-amino and (4,5-dihydro-6-oxa-3-thia-1-aza-benzo[e]azulen-2-yl)-piperidin-4-ylmethyl-amino derivatives. Both classes of compounds are capable of delivering potent and selective orally and centrally bioavailable NPY Y5 receptor antagonists.