Engineering Hydroxylase Activity, Selectivity, and Stability for a Scalable Concise Synthesis of a Key Intermediate to Belzutifan.

Biocatalytic oxidations are an emerging technology for selective C-H bond activation. While promising for a range of selective oxidations, practical use of enzymes catalyzing aerobic hydroxylation is presently limited by their substrate scope and stability under industrially relevant conditions. Here, we report the engineering and practical application of a non-heme iron and α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase for the direct stereo- and regio-selective hydroxylation of a non-native fluoroindanone en route to the oncology treatment belzutifan, replacing a five-step chemical synthesis with a direct enantioselective hydroxylation. Mechanistic studies indicated that formation of the desired product was limited by enzyme stability and product overoxidation, with these properties subsequently improved by directed evolution, yielding a biocatalyst capable of >15,000 total turnovers. Highlighting the industrial utility of this biocatalyst, the high-yielding, green, and efficient oxidation was demonstrated at kilogram scale for the synthesis of belzutifan.

A kinase-cGAS cascade to synthesize a therapeutic STING activator.

The introduction of molecular complexity in an atom- and step-efficient manner remains an outstanding goal in modern synthetic chemistry. Artificial biosynthetic pathways are uniquely able to address this challenge by using enzymes to carry out multiple synthetic steps simultaneously or in a one-pot sequence1-3. Conducting biosynthesis ex vivo further broadens its applicability by avoiding cross-talk with cellular metabolism and enabling the redesign of key biosynthetic pathways through the use of non-natural cofactors and synthetic reagents4,5. Here we describe the discovery and construction of an enzymatic cascade to MK-1454, a highly potent stimulator of interferon genes (STING) activator under study as an immuno-oncology therapeutic6,7 (ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT04220866 ). From two non-natural nucleotide monothiophosphates, MK-1454 is assembled diastereoselectively in a one-pot cascade, in which two thiotriphosphate nucleotides are simultaneously generated biocatalytically, followed by coupling and cyclization catalysed by an engineered animal cyclic guanosine-adenosine synthase (cGAS). For the thiotriphosphate synthesis, three kinase enzymes were engineered to develop a non-natural cofactor recycling system in which one thiotriphosphate serves as a cofactor in its own synthesis. This study demonstrates the substantial capacity that currently exists to use biosynthetic approaches to discover and manufacture complex, non-natural molecules.

A new tool to guide halofunctionalization reactions: the halenium affinity (HalA) scale.

We introduce a previously unexplored parameter-halenium affinity (HalA)- as a quantitative descriptor of the bond strengths of various functional groups to halenium ions. The HalA scale ranks potential halenium ion acceptors based on their ability to stabilize a "free halenium ion". Alkenes in particular but other Lewis bases as well, such as amines, amides, carbonyls, and ether oxygen atoms, etc., have been classified on the HalA scale. This indirect approach enables a rapid and straightforward prediction of chemoselectivity for systems involved in halofunctionalization reactions that have multiple nucleophilic sites. The influences of subtle electronic and steric variations, as well as the less predictable anchimeric and stereoelectronic effects, are intrinsically accounted for by HalA computations, providing quantitative assessments beyond simple "chemical intuition". This combined theoretical-experimental approach offers an expeditious means of predicting and identifying unprecedented reactions.