Discovery of hydroxyaniline amides as selective Extracellular Regulated Kinase (Erk) inhibitors.

Starting from weak µM hits identified through affinity based Automated Ligand Identification System (ALIS) screenings, double digit nM hydroxyaniline amide Erk inhibitors were discovered. This class of compounds had the unique dual mechanism of inhibiting activated and non-activated forms of Erk. They generally had high degree of selectivity in kinase panel tested.