Discovery of a First-in-Class Gut-Restricted RET Kinase Inhibitor as a Clinical Candidate for the Treatment of IBS.

Abdominal pain and abnormal bowel habits represent major symptoms for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients that are not adequately managed. Although the etiology of IBS is not completely understood, many of the functions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are regulated by the enteric nervous system (ENS). Inflammation or stress-induced expression of growth factors or cytokines may lead to hyperinnervation of visceral afferent neurons in GI tract and contribute to the pathophysiology of IBS. Rearranged during transfection (RET) is a neuronal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase critical for the development of the ENS as exemplified by Hirschsprung patients who carry RET loss-of-function mutations and lack normal colonic innervation leading to colonic obstruction. Similarly, RET signaling in the adult ENS maintains neuronal function by contributing to synaptic formation, signal transmission, and neuronal plasticity. Inhibition of RET in the ENS represents a novel therapeutic strategy for the normalization of neuronal function and the symptoms of IBS patients. Herein, we describe our screening effort and subsequent structure-activity relationships (SARs) in optimizing potency, selectivity, and mutagenicity of the series, which led to the discovery of a first-in-class, gut-restricted RET kinase inhibitor, 2-(4-(4-ethoxy-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridin-3-yl)-2-fluorophenyl)-N-(5-(1,1,1-trifluoro-2-methylpropan-2-yl)isoxazol-3-yl)acetamide (15, GSK3179106), as a clinical candidate for the treatment of IBS. GSK3179106 is a potent, selective, and gut-restricted pyridone hinge binder small molecule RET kinase inhibitor with a RET IC50 of 0.3 nM and is efficacious in vivo.

Discovery of AZ0108, an orally bioavailable phthalazinone PARP inhibitor that blocks centrosome clustering.

The propensity for cancer cells to accumulate additional centrosomes relative to normal cells could be exploited for therapeutic benefit in oncology. Following literature reports that suggested TNKS1 (tankyrase 1) and PARP16 may be involved with spindle structure and function and may play a role in suppressing multi-polar spindle formation in cells with supernumerary centrosomes, we initiated a phenotypic screen to look for small molecule poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzyme family inhibitors that could produce a multi-polar spindle phenotype via declustering of centrosomes. Screening of AstraZeneca's collection of phthalazinone PARP inhibitors in HeLa cells using high-content screening techniques identified several compounds that produced a multi-polar spindle phenotype at low nanomolar concentrations. Characterization of these compounds across a broad panel of PARP family enzyme assays indicated that they had activity against several PARP family enzymes, including PARP1, 2, 3, 5a, 5b, and 6. Further optimization of these initial hits for improved declustering potency, solubility, permeability, and oral bioavailability resulted in AZ0108, a PARP1, 2, 6 inhibitor that potently inhibits centrosome clustering and is suitable for in vivo efficacy and tolerability studies.

Discovery of novel Jak2-Stat pathway inhibitors with extended residence time on target.

The discovery of the activating mutation V617F in the JH2 domain of Jak2 and the modulation of oncogenic Stat3 by Jak2 inhibitors have spurred a great interest in the inhibition of the Jak2/Stat pathway in oncology. In this Letter, we communicate the discovery of novel inhibitors of the Jak2/Stat5 axis, the N-(1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyrimidin-2-amino derivatives. The rationale, synthesis and biological evaluation of these derivatives are reported. Two lead analogs from this series, 6 and 9, displayed prolonged residence time on Jak2, at enzymatic level. Although 6 and 9 exhibited moderate selectivity in a selected kinase panel, we chose to test these inhibitors in vivo as a consequence to their long residence time. However, extended inhibition of Jak2 due to the long residence time, in the form of inhibiting phosphorylation of downstream Stat5, was not recapitulated in an in vivo setting.

Replacement of pyrazol-3-yl amine hinge binder with thiazol-2-yl amine: Discovery of potent and selective JAK2 inhibitors.

Thiazol-2-yl amine was identified as an isosteric replacement for pyrazol-3-yl amine during our efforts to identify potent and selective JAK2 inhibitors. The rationale, synthesis and biological evaluation of several analogs is reported, along with the in vivo evaluation of the lead compounds.

SU14813: a novel multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potent antiangiogenic and antitumor activity.

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK), such as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), stem cell factor receptor (KIT), and fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3), are expressed in malignant tissues and act in concert, playing diverse and major roles in angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis. With the exception of a few malignancies, seemingly driven by a single genetic mutation in a signaling protein, most tumors are the product of multiple mutations in multiple aberrant signaling pathways. Consequently, simultaneous targeted inhibition of multiple signaling pathways could be more effective than inhibiting a single pathway in cancer therapies. Such a multitargeted strategy has recently been validated in a number of preclinical and clinical studies using RTK inhibitors with broad target selectivity. SU14813, a small molecule identified from the same chemical library used to isolate sunitinib, has broad-spectrum RTK inhibitory activity through binding to and inhibition of VEGFR, PDGFR, KIT, and FLT3. In cellular assays, SU14813 inhibited ligand-dependent and ligand-independent proliferation, migration, and survival of endothelial cells and/or tumor cells expressing these targets. SU14813 inhibited VEGFR-2, PDGFR-beta, and FLT3 phosphorylation in xenograft tumors in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. The plasma concentration required for in vivo target inhibition was estimated to be 100 to 200 ng/mL. Used as monotherapy, SU14813 exhibited broad and potent antitumor activity resulting in regression, growth arrest, or substantially reduced growth of various established xenografts derived from human or rat tumor cell lines. Treatment in combination with docetaxel significantly enhanced both the inhibition of primary tumor growth and the survival of the tumor-bearing mice compared with administration of either agent alone. In summary, SU14813 inhibited target RTK activity in vivo in association with reduction in angiogenesis, target RTK-mediated proliferation, and survival of tumor cells, leading to broad and potent antitumor efficacy. These data support the ongoing phase I clinical evaluation of SU14813 in advanced malignancies.

Design and synthesis of aminopropyl tetrahydroindole-based indolin-2-ones as selective and potent inhibitors of Src and Yes tyrosine kinase.

A novel series of substituted 3-[3-(aminopropyl)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-indol-2-ylmethylene]-1,3-dihydro-indole-2-ones was discovered as potent inhibitors of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase Src and Yes. A structure-activity relationship was developed in order to optimize their potency and selectivity. Syntheses of these compounds are also described herein.