Discovery of GNE-502 as an orally bioavailable and potent degrader for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.

Fulvestrant is an FDA-approved drug with a dual mechanism of action (MOA), acting as a full antagonist and degrader of the estrogen receptor protein. A significant limitation of fulvestrant is the dosing regimen required for efficacy. Due to its high lipophilicity and poor pharmacokinetic profile, fulvestrant needs to be administered through intramuscular injections which leads to injection site soreness. This route of administration also limits the dose and target occupancy in patients. We envisioned a best-in-class molecule that would function with the same dual MOA as fulvestrant, but with improved physicochemical properties and would be orally bioavailable. Herein we report our progress toward that goal, resulting in a new lead GNE-502 which addressed some of the liabilities of our previously reported lead molecule GNE-149.

Unexpected equivalent potency of a constrained chromene enantiomeric pair rationalized by co-crystal structures in complex with estrogen receptor alpha.

Despite tremendous progress made in the understanding of the ERα signaling pathway and the approval of many therapeutic agents, ER+ breast cancer continues to be a leading cause of cancer death in women. We set out to discover compounds with a dual mechanism of action in which they not only compete with estradiol for binding with ERα, but also can induce the degradation of the ERα protein itself. We were attracted to the constrained chromenes containing a tetracyclic benzopyranobenzoxepine scaffold, which were reported as potent selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). Incorporation of a fluoromethyl azetidine side chain yielded highly potent and efficacious selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs), such as 16aa and surprisingly, also its enantiomeric pair 16ab. Co-crystal structures of the enantiomeric pair 16aa and 16ab in complex with ERα revealed default (mimics the A-D rings of endogenous ligand estradiol) and core-flipped binding modes, rationalizing the equivalent potency observed for these enantiomers in the ERα degradation and MCF-7 anti-proliferation assays.

Identification of an imidazopyridine scaffold to generate potent and selective TYK2 inhibitors that demonstrate activity in an in vivo psoriasis model.

Herein we report identification of an imidazopyridine class of potent and selective TYK2 inhibitors, exemplified by prototype 6, through constraint of the rotatable amide bond connecting the pyridine and aryl rings of compound 1. Further optimization led to generation of compound 30 that potently inhibits the TYK2 enzyme and the IL-23 pathway in cells, exhibits selectivity against cellular JAK2 activity, and has good pharmacokinetic properties. In mice, compound 30 demonstrated dose-dependent reduction of IL-17 production in a PK/PD model as well as in an imiquimod-induced psoriasis model. In this efficacy model, the IL-17 decrease was accompanied by a reduction of ear thickness indicating the potential of TYK2 inhibition as a therapeutic approach for psoriasis patients.

Tankyrase Inhibition Causes Reversible Intestinal Toxicity in Mice with a Therapeutic Index < 1.

Activated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling is frequently associated with colorectal cancer. Wnt inhibitors, including tankyrase inhibitors, are being explored as potential anticancer agents. Wnt signaling is also critical for intestinal tissue homeostasis, and Wnt inhibitors have been shown to cause intestinal toxicity in mice by affecting intestinal stem cells. This study sought to characterize the intestinal toxicity of tankyrase inhibitors, including reversibility, and to assess their therapeutic index. Novel tankyrase inhibitor G-631 caused dose-dependent intestinal toxicity with a therapeutic index < 1 after 14 days of dosing in mice. At a tolerated subtherapeutic dose level, the intestinal toxicity was composed of enteritis characterized by villus blunting, epithelial degeneration, and inflammation, which fully reversed after 14 days of recovery. Doubled exposure showed weak antitumor activity in a xenograft colorectal cancer model but also caused more severe intestinal toxicity characterized by multifocal-regionally extensive necrotizing and ulcerative enteritis leading to morbidity or moribundity in some animals. This toxicity was only partially reversed after 14 days of recovery, with evidence of crypt and villus regeneration, mildly blunted villi, and/or scarring in association with chronic inflammation of the submucosa. Therefore, the clinical utility of tankyrase inhibitors is likely limited by the on-target intestinal toxicity and a therapeutic index < 1 in mice.

Oncogenic RAS pathway activation promotes resistance to anti-VEGF therapy through G-CSF-induced neutrophil recruitment.

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) promotes mobilization of CD11b(+)Gr1(+) myeloid cells and has been implicated in resistance to anti-VEGF therapy in mouse models. High G-CSF production has been associated with a poor prognosis in cancer patients. Here we show that activation of the RAS/MEK/ERK pathway regulates G-CSF expression through the Ets transcription factor. Several growth factors induced G-CSF expression by a MEK-dependent mechanism. Inhibition of G-CSF release with a MEK inhibitor markedly reduced G-CSF production in vitro and synergized with anti-VEGF antibodies to reduce CD11b(+)Ly6G(+) neutrophil mobilization and tumor growth and led to increased survival in animal models of cancer, including a genetically engineered mouse model of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Analysis of biopsies from pancreatic cancer patients revealed increased phospho-MEK, G-CSF, and Ets expression and enhanced neutrophil recruitment compared with normal pancreata. These results provide insights into G-CSF regulation and on the mechanism of action of MEK inhibitors and point to unique anticancer strategies.

Solvent-based formulations for intravenous mouse pharmacokinetic studies: tolerability and recommended solvent dose limits.

1. Modern high-throughput small molecule drug discovery requires rapid screening of the pharmacokinetic parameters of multiple candidate molecules in parallel. The mouse is often used for such screening, as are solvent-based intravenous formulations. Despite this, the intravenous toxicity of many commonly used solvents is unknown. The purpose of this investigation is to establish recommended no-observed-effect level (NOEL) and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for several commonly used intravenous solvents in the CD-1 mouse. 2. The acute tolerability of polyethylene glycol 400, N-methylpyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethanol, dimethylacetamide and propylene glycol was established, along with combinations of polyethylene glycol 400 and/or ethanol and DMSO. Based on these data, an acute NOEL and recommended MTD is reported for each solvent or solvent combination. 3. These data can guide the use of these solvents to support single-dose intravenous pharmacokinetic studies in mice. By establishing a defined dose tolerability range for the most commonly used intravenous solvents, undue pain and distress in animals can be avoided while maximizing the generation of critical pharmacokinetic data for project teams.

Evaluation of drug load and polymer by using a 96-well plate vacuum dry system for amorphous solid dispersion drug delivery.

It is well recognized that poor dissolution rate and solubility of drug candidates are key limiting factors for oral bioavailability. While numerous technologies have been developed to enhance solubility of the drug candidates, poor water solubility continuously remains a challenge for drug delivery. Among those technologies, amorphous solid dispersions (SD) have been successfully employed to enhance both dissolution rate and solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. This research reports a high-throughput screening technology developed by utilizing a 96-well plate system to identify optimal drug load and polymer using a solvent casting approach. A minimal amount of drug was required to evaluate optimal drug load in three different polymers with respect to solubility improvement and solid-state stability of the amorphous drug-polymer system. Validation of this method was demonstrated with three marketed drugs as well as with one internal compound. Scale up of the internal compound SD by spray drying further confirmed the validity of this method, and its quality was comparable to a larger scale process. Here, we demonstrate that our system is highly efficient, cost-effective, and robust to evaluate the feasibility of spray drying technology to produce amorphous solid dispersions.

GDC-9545 (Giredestrant): A Potent and Orally Bioavailable Selective Estrogen Receptor Antagonist and Degrader with an Exceptional Preclinical Profile for ER+ Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death in women, representing a significant unmet medical need. Here, we disclose our discovery efforts culminating in a clinical candidate, 35 (GDC-9545 or giredestrant). 35 is an efficient and potent selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) and a full antagonist, which translates into better antiproliferation activity than known SERDs (1, 6, 7, and 9) across multiple cell lines. Fine-tuning the physiochemical properties enabled once daily oral dosing of 35 in preclinical species and humans. 35 exhibits low drug-drug interaction liability and demonstrates excellent in vitro and in vivo safety profiles. At low doses, 35 induces tumor regressions either as a single agent or in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor in an ESR1Y537S mutant PDX or a wild-type ERα tumor model. Currently, 35 is being evaluated in Phase III clinical trials.

Discovery of GNE-149 as a Full Antagonist and Efficient Degrader of Estrogen Receptor alpha for ER+ Breast Cancer.

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is a well-validated drug target for ER-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Fulvestrant is FDA-approved to treat ER+ breast cancer and works through two mechanisms-as a full antagonist and selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD)-but lacks oral bioavailability. Thus, we envisioned a "best-in-class" molecule with the same dual mechanisms as fulvestrant, but with significant oral exposure. Through lead optimization, we discovered a tool molecule 12 (GNE-149) with improved degradation and antiproliferative activity in both MCF7 and T47D cells. To illustrate the binding mode and key interactions of this scaffold with ERα, we obtained a cocrystal structure of 6 that showed ionic interaction of azetidine with Asp351 residue. Importantly, 12 showed favorable metabolic stability and good oral exposure. 12 exhibited antagonist effect in the uterus and demonstrated robust dose-dependent efficacy in xenograft models.

Structure-Based Design of GNE-495, a Potent and Selective MAP4K4 Inhibitor with Efficacy in Retinal Angiogenesis.

Diverse biological roles for mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP4K4) have necessitated the identification of potent inhibitors in order to study its function in various disease contexts. In particular, compounds that can be used to carry out such studies in vivo would be critical for elucidating the potential for therapeutic intervention. A structure-based design effort coupled with property-guided optimization directed at minimizing the ability of the inhibitors to cross into the CNS led to an advanced compound 13 (GNE-495) that showed excellent potency and good PK and was used to demonstrate in vivo efficacy in a retinal angiogenesis model recapitulating effects that were observed in the inducible Map4k4 knockout mice.

Discovery of selective 4-Amino-pyridopyrimidine inhibitors of MAP4K4 using fragment-based lead identification and optimization.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP4K4) is a serine/threonine kinase implicated in the regulation of many biological processes. A fragment-based lead discovery approach was used to generate potent and selective MAP4K4 inhibitors. The fragment hit pursued in this article had excellent ligand efficiency (LE), an important attribute for subsequent successful optimization into drug-like lead compounds. The optimization efforts eventually led us to focus on the pyridopyrimidine series, from which 6-(2-fluoropyridin-4-yl)pyrido[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4-amine (29) was identified. This compound had low nanomolar potency, excellent kinase selectivity, and good in vivo exposure, and demonstrated in vivo pharmacodynamic effects in a human tumor xenograft model.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of amorphous solid dispersions generated by different bench-scale processes, using griseofulvin as a model compound.

Drug polymer-based amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry to improve bioavailability for poorly water-soluble compounds. Spray-drying is the most common process involved in the manufacturing of ASD material. However, spray-drying involves a high investment of material quantity and time. Lower investment manufacturing processes such as fast evaporation and freeze-drying (lyophilization) have been developed to manufacture ASD at the bench level. The general belief is that the overall performance of ASD material is thermodynamically driven and should be independent of the manufacturing process. However, no formal comparison has been made to assess the in vivo performance of material generated by different processes. This study compares the in vitro and in vivo properties of ASD material generated by fast evaporation, lyophilization, and spray-drying methods using griseofulvin as a model compound and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate as the polymer matrix. Our data suggest that despite minor differences in the formulation release properties and stability of the ASD materials, the overall exposure is comparable between the three manufacturing processes under the conditions examined. These results suggest that fast evaporation and lyophilization may be suitable to generate ASD material for oral evaluation. However, caution should be exercised since the general applicability of the present findings will need to be further evaluated.

A novel tankyrase small-molecule inhibitor suppresses APC mutation-driven colorectal tumor growth.

Most colorectal cancers (CRC) are initiated by mutations of APC, leading to increased ß-catenin-mediated signaling. However, continued requirement of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling for tumor progression in the context of acquired KRAS and other mutations is less well-established. To attenuate Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in tumors, we have developed potent and specific small-molecule tankyrase inhibitors, G007-LK and G244-LM, that reduce Wnt/ß-catenin signaling by preventing poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation-dependent AXIN degradation, thereby promoting ß-catenin destabilization. We show that novel tankyrase inhibitors completely block ligand-driven Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in cell culture and display approximately 50% inhibition of APC mutation-driven signaling in most CRC cell lines. It was previously unknown whether the level of AXIN protein stabilization by tankyrase inhibition is sufficient to impact tumor growth in the absence of normal APC activity. Compound G007-LK displays favorable pharmacokinetic properties and inhibits in vivo tumor growth in a subset of APC-mutant CRC xenograft models. In the xenograft model most sensitive to tankyrase inhibitor, COLO-320DM, G007-LK inhibits cell-cycle progression, reduces colony formation, and induces differentiation, suggesting that ß-catenin-dependent maintenance of an undifferentiated state may be blocked by tankyrase inhibition. The full potential of the antitumor activity of G007-LK may be limited by intestinal toxicity associated with inhibition of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and cell proliferation in intestinal crypts. These results establish proof-of-concept antitumor efficacy for tankyrase inhibitors in APC-mutant CRC models and uncover potential diagnostic and safety concerns to be overcome as tankyrase inhibitors are advanced into the clinic.

Lead optimization of a 4-aminopyridine benzamide scaffold to identify potent, selective, and orally bioavailable TYK2 inhibitors.

Herein we report our lead optimization effort to identify potent, selective, and orally bioavailable TYK2 inhibitors, starting with lead molecule 3. We used structure-based design to discover 2,6-dichloro-4-cyanophenyl and (1R,2R)-2-fluorocyclopropylamide modifications, each of which exhibited improved TYK2 potency and JAK1 and JAK2 selectivity relative to 3. Further optimization eventually led to compound 37 that showed good TYK2 enzyme and interleukin-12 (IL-12) cell potency, as well as acceptable cellular JAK1 and JAK2 selectivity and excellent oral exposure in mice. When tested in a mouse IL-12 PK/PD model, compound 37 showed statistically significant knockdown of cytokine interferon-γ (IFNγ), suggesting that selective inhibition of TYK2 kinase activity might be sufficient to block the IL-12 pathway in vivo.

Lead identification of novel and selective TYK2 inhibitors.

A therapeutic rationale is proposed for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), by selective targeting of TYK2. Hit triage, following a high-throughput screen for TYK2 inhibitors, revealed pyridine 1 as a promising starting point for lead identification. Initial expansion of 3 separate regions of the molecule led to eventual identification of cyclopropyl amide 46, a potent lead analog with good kinase selectivity, physicochemical properties, and pharmacokinetic profile. Analysis of the binding modes of the series in TYK2 and JAK2 crystal structures revealed key interactions leading to good TYK2 potency and design options for future optimization of selectivity.