Zirconium Hydride Catalysis Initiated by Tetrabutylammonium Fluoride.

In our drug discovery campaigns to target the oncogenic drivers of cancers, the demand for a chemoselective, stereoselective and economical synthesis of chiral benzylamines drove the development of a catalytic zirconium hydride reduction. This methodology uses the inexpensive, bench stable zirconocene dichloride, and a novel tetrabutylammonium fluoride activation tactic to catalytically generate a metal hydride under ambient conditions. The diastereo- and chemoselectivity of this reaction was tested with the preparation of key intermediates from our discovery programs and in the scope of sulfinyl ketimines and carbonyls relevant to medicinal chemistry and natural product synthesis. A preliminary mechanistic investigation conducted into the role of tetrabutylammonium fluoride indicates that formation of a zirconocene fluoride occurs to initiate catalysis. The implications of this convenient activation approach may provide expanded roles for zirconium hydrides in catalytic transformations.

The SOS1 Inhibitor MRTX0902 Blocks KRAS Activation and Demonstrates Antitumor Activity in Cancers Dependent on KRAS Nucleotide Loading.

KRAS is the most frequently mutated oncogene in human cancer and facilitates uncontrolled growth through hyperactivation of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The Son of Sevenless homolog 1 (SOS1) protein functions as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for the RAS subfamily of small GTPases and represents a druggable target in the pathway. Using a structure-based drug discovery approach, MRTX0902 was identified as a selective and potent SOS1 inhibitor that disrupts the KRAS:SOS1 protein-protein interaction to prevent SOS1-mediated nucleotide exchange on KRAS and translates into an anti-proliferative effect in cancer cell lines with genetic alterations of the KRAS-MAPK pathway. MRTX0902 augmented the antitumor activity of the KRAS G12C inhibitor adagrasib when dosed in combination in eight out of 12 KRAS G12C-mutant human non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer xenograft models. Pharmacogenomic profiling in preclinical models identified cell cycle genes and the SOS2 homolog as genetic co-dependencies and implicated tumor suppressor genes (NF1 and PTEN) in resistance following combination treatment. Lastly, combined vertical inhibition of RTK/MAPK pathway signaling by MRTX0902 with inhibitors of EGFR or RAF/MEK led to greater downregulation of pathway signaling and improved antitumor responses in KRAS-MAPK pathway-mutant models. These studies demonstrate the potential clinical application of dual inhibition of SOS1 and KRAS G12C and additional SOS1 combination strategies that will aide in the understanding of SOS1 and RTK/MAPK biology in targeted cancer therapy.

Discovery of Pyridopyrimidinones that Selectively Inhibit the H1047R PI3Kα Mutant Protein.

The H1047R mutation of PIK3CA is highly prevalent in breast cancers and other solid tumors. Selectively targeting PI3KαH1047R over PI3KαWT is crucial due to the role that PI3KαWT plays in normal cellular processes, including glucose homeostasis. Currently, only one PI3KαH1047R-selective inhibitor has progressed into clinical trials, while three pan mutant (H1047R, H1047L, H1047Y, E542K, and E545K) selective PI3Kα inhibitors have also reached the clinical stage. Herein, we report the design and discovery of a series of pyridopyrimidinones that inhibit PI3KαH1047R with high selectivity over PI3KαWT, resulting in the discovery of compound 17. When dosed in the HCC1954 tumor model in mice, 17 provided tumor regressions and a clear pharmacodynamic response. X-ray cocrystal structures from several PI3Kα inhibitors were obtained, revealing three distinct binding modes within PI3KαH1047R including a previously reported cryptic pocket in the C-terminus of the kinase domain wherein we observe a ligand-induced interaction with Arg1047.

Stereoselective Amine Synthesis Mediated by a Zirconocene Hydride to Accelerate a Drug Discovery Program.

Chiral amine synthesis remains a significant challenge in accelerating the design cycle of drug discovery programs. A zirconium hydride, due to its high oxophilicity and lower reactivity, gave highly chemo- and stereoselective reductions of sulfinyl ketimines. The development of this zirconocene-mediated reduction helped to accelerate our drug discovery efforts and is applicable to several motifs commonly used in medicinal chemistry. Computational investigation supported a cyclic half-chair transition state to rationalize the high selectivity in benzyl systems.

Discovery of Five SOS2 Fragment Hits with Binding Modes Determined by SOS2 X-Ray Cocrystallography.

SOS1 and SOS2 are guanine nucleotide exchange factors that mediate RTK-stimulated RAS activation. Selective SOS1:KRAS PPI inhibitors are currently under clinical investigation, whereas there are no reports to date of SOS2:KRAS PPI inhibitors. SOS2 activity is implicated in MAPK rebound when divergent SOS1 mutant cell lines are treated with the SOS1 inhibitor BI-3406; therefore, SOS2:KRAS inhibitors are of therapeutic interest. In this report, we detail a fragment-based screening strategy to identify X-ray cocrystal structures of five diverse fragment hits bound to SOS2.

MRTX1719 Is an MTA-Cooperative PRMT5 Inhibitor That Exhibits Synthetic Lethality in Preclinical Models and Patients with MTAP-Deleted Cancer.

Previous studies implicated protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) as a synthetic lethal target for MTAP-deleted (MTAP del) cancers; however, the pharmacologic characterization of small-molecule inhibitors that recapitulate the synthetic lethal phenotype has not been described. MRTX1719 selectively inhibited PRMT5 in the presence of MTA, which is elevated in MTAP del cancers, and inhibited PRMT5-dependent activity and cell viability with >70-fold selecti-vity in HCT116 MTAP del compared with HCT116 MTAP wild-type (WT) cells. MRTX1719 demonstrated dose-dependent antitumor activity and inhibition of PRMT5-dependent SDMA modification in MTAP del tumors. In contrast, MRTX1719 demonstrated minimal effects on SDMA and viability in MTAP WT tumor xenografts or hematopoietic cells. MRTX1719 demonstrated marked antitumor activity across a panel of xenograft models at well-tolerated doses. Early signs of clinical activity were observed including objective responses in patients with MTAP del melanoma, gallbladder adenocarcinoma, mesothelioma, non-small cell lung cancer, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors from the phase I/II study. SIGNIFICANCE: PRMT5 was identified as a synthetic lethal target for MTAP del cancers; however, previous PRMT5 inhibitors do not selectively target this genotype. The differentiated binding mode of MRTX1719 leverages the elevated MTA in MTAP del cancers and represents a promising therapy for the ∼10% of patients with cancer with this biomarker. See related commentary by Mulvaney, p. 2310. This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 2293.

Selected Approaches to Disrupting Protein-Protein Interactions within the MAPK/RAS Pathway.

Within the MAPK/RAS pathway, there exists a plethora of protein-protein interactions (PPIs). For many years, scientists have focused efforts on drugging KRAS and its effectors in hopes to provide much needed therapies for patients with KRAS-mutant driven cancers. In this review, we focus on recent strategies to inhibit RAS-signaling via disrupting PPIs associated with SOS1, RAF, PDEδ, Grb2, and RAS.

Fragment optimization and elaboration strategies - the discovery of two lead series of PRMT5/MTA inhibitors from five fragment hits.

Here we describe the early stages of a fragment-based lead discovery (FBLD) project for a recently elucidated synthetic lethal target, the PRMT5/MTA complex, for the treatment of MTAP-deleted cancers. Starting with five fragment/PRMT5/MTA X-ray co-crystal structures, we employed a two-phase fragment elaboration process encompassing optimization of fragment hits and subsequent fragment growth to increase potency, assess synthetic tractability, and enable structure-based drug design. Two lead series were identified, one of which led to the discovery of the clinical candidate MRTX1719.

Anti-tumor efficacy of a potent and selective non-covalent KRASG12D inhibitor.

Recent progress in targeting KRASG12C has provided both insight and inspiration for targeting alternative KRAS mutants. In this study, we evaluated the mechanism of action and anti-tumor efficacy of MRTX1133, a potent, selective and non-covalent KRASG12D inhibitor. MRTX1133 demonstrated a high-affinity interaction with GDP-loaded KRASG12D with KD and IC50 values of ~0.2 pM and <2 nM, respectively, and ~700-fold selectivity for binding to KRASG12D as compared to KRASWT. MRTX1133 also demonstrated potent inhibition of activated KRASG12D based on biochemical and co-crystal structural analyses. MRTX1133 inhibited ERK1/2 phosphorylation and cell viability in KRASG12D-mutant cell lines, with median IC50 values of ~5 nM, and demonstrated >1,000-fold selectivity compared to KRASWT cell lines. MRTX1133 exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of KRAS-mediated signal transduction and marked tumor regression (≥30%) in a subset of KRASG12D-mutant cell-line-derived and patient-derived xenograft models, including eight of 11 (73%) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) models. Pharmacological and CRISPR-based screens demonstrated that co-targeting KRASG12D with putative feedback or bypass pathways, including EGFR or PI3Kα, led to enhanced anti-tumor activity. Together, these data indicate the feasibility of selectively targeting KRAS mutants with non-covalent, high-affinity small molecules and illustrate the therapeutic susceptibility and broad dependence of KRASG12D mutation-positive tumors on mutant KRAS for tumor cell growth and survival.

Atropisomeric Racemization Kinetics of MRTX1719 Using Chiral Solvating Agent-Assisted 19F NMR Spectroscopy.

With renewed interest in atropisomerism of drug molecules, efficient methods to experimentally determine torsion rotational energy barriers are needed. Here, we describe use of the chiral phosphoric acid solvating agent (+)-TiPSY to resolve the signals of atropisomers in 19F NMR and to use the data to study the kinetics of racemization and determine the rotational energy barrier of clinical compound MRTX1719. This method is complimentary to traditional chiral high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and enhances the toolkit for chiral analysis techniques.

Design and evaluation of achiral, non-atropisomeric 4-(aminomethyl)phthalazin-1(2H)-one derivatives as novel PRMT5/MTA inhibitors.

MRTX1719 is an inhibitor of the PRMT5/MTA complex and recently entered clinical trials for the treatment of MTAP-deleted cancers. MRTX1719 is a class 3 atropisomeric compound that requires a chiral synthesis or a chiral separation step in its preparation. Here, we report the SAR and medicinal chemistry design strategy, supported by structural insights from X-ray crystallography, to discover a class 1 atropisomeric compound from the same series that does not require a chiral synthesis or a chiral separation step in its preparation.

Design and Discovery of MRTX0902, a Potent, Selective, Brain-Penetrant, and Orally Bioavailable Inhibitor of the SOS1:KRAS Protein-Protein Interaction.

SOS1 is one of the major guanine nucleotide exchange factors that regulates the ability of KRAS to cycle through its "on" and "off" states. Disrupting the SOS1:KRASG12C protein-protein interaction (PPI) can increase the proportion of GDP-loaded KRASG12C, providing a strong mechanistic rationale for combining inhibitors of the SOS1:KRAS complex with inhibitors like MRTX849 that target GDP-loaded KRASG12C. In this report, we detail the design and discovery of MRTX0902─a potent, selective, brain-penetrant, and orally bioavailable SOS1 binder that disrupts the SOS1:KRASG12C PPI. Oral administration of MRTX0902 in combination with MRTX849 results in a significant increase in antitumor activity relative to that of either single agent, including tumor regressions in a subset of animals in the MIA PaCa-2 tumor mouse xenograft model.

Fragment-Based Discovery of MRTX1719, a Synthetic Lethal Inhibitor of the PRMT5•MTA Complex for the Treatment of MTAP-Deleted Cancers.

The PRMT5•MTA complex has recently emerged as a new synthetically lethal drug target for the treatment of MTAP-deleted cancers. Here, we report the discovery of development candidate MRTX1719. MRTX1719 is a potent and selective binder to the PRMT5•MTA complex and selectively inhibits PRMT5 activity in MTAP-deleted cells compared to MTAP-wild-type cells. Daily oral administration of MRTX1719 to tumor xenograft-bearing mice demonstrated dose-dependent inhibition of PRMT5-dependent symmetric dimethylarginine protein modification in MTAP-deleted tumors that correlated with antitumor activity. A 4-(aminomethyl)phthalazin-1(2H)-one hit was identified through a fragment-based screen, followed by X-ray crystallography, to confirm binding to the PRMT5•MTA complex. Fragment growth supported by structural insights from X-ray crystallography coupled with optimization of pharmacokinetic properties aided the discovery of development candidate MRTX1719.

Identification of MRTX1133, a Noncovalent, Potent, and Selective KRASG12D Inhibitor.

KRASG12D, the most common oncogenic KRAS mutation, is a promising target for the treatment of solid tumors. However, when compared to KRASG12C, selective inhibition of KRASG12D presents a significant challenge due to the requirement of inhibitors to bind KRASG12D with high enough affinity to obviate the need for covalent interactions with the mutant KRAS protein. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of the first noncovalent, potent, and selective KRASG12D inhibitor, MRTX1133, which was discovered through an extensive structure-based activity improvement and shown to be efficacious in a KRASG12D mutant xenograft mouse tumor model.

Discovery of the Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Clinical Candidate TAK-020 (S)-5-(1-((1-Acryloylpyrrolidin-3-yl)oxy)isoquinolin-3-yl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one, by Fragment-Based Drug Design.

This publication details the successful use of FBDD (fragment-based drug discovery) principles in the invention of a novel covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which ultimately became the Takeda Pharmaceuticals clinical candidate TAK-020. Described herein are the discovery of the fragment 5-phenyl-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one, the subsequent optimization of this hit molecule to the candidate, and synthesis and performance in pharmacodynamic and efficacy models along with direct biophysical comparison of TAK-020 with other clinical-level assets and the marketed drug Ibrutinib.

Feature extraction via similarity search: application to atom finding and denoising in electron and scanning probe microscopy imaging.

We develop an algorithm for feature extraction based on structural similarity and demonstrate its application for atom and pattern finding in high-resolution electron and scanning probe microscopy images. The use of the combined local identifiers formed from an image subset and appended Fourier, or other transform, allows tuning selectivity to specific patterns based on the nature of the recognition task. The proposed algorithm is implemented in Pycroscopy, a community-driven scientific data analysis package, and is accessible through an interactive Jupyter notebook available on GitHub.

The Radiologist's Primer to Imaging the Noncuff, Nonlabral Postoperative Shoulder.

Many radiologists are familiar with the preoperative imaging assessment of patients with labral tears, rotator cuff abnormalities, and end-stage arthritis, as well as the subsequent primary reconstructions and repairs commonly encountered in routine clinical management. However, the second-line surgical procedures and augmentation procedures performed for refractory or recurrent shoulder instability and the extra-articular surgical procedures of the shoulder girdle may challenge even the most experienced musculoskeletal radiologist. Knowledge of the indications, surgical techniques, expected postoperative imaging appearance, and complications of these uncommon shoulder girdle reconstructions and repairs will aid the radiologist in both the pre- and postoperative assessment of the injured shoulder. This article is divided into two parts. In the first part, procedures performed for shoulder instability are addressed, including capsular shift, Bristow-Latarjet coracoid transfer, remplissage, and humeral head allografts. In the second part, the imaging findings of extra-articular procedures of the shoulder girdle are reviewed, including biceps tenodesis, os acromiale fixation, and coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction. ©RSNA, 2017.

Fragment-based drug discovery of potent and selective MKK3/6 inhibitors.

The MAPK signaling cascade, comprised of several linear and intersecting pathways, propagates signaling into the nucleus resulting in cytokine and chemokine release. The Map Kinase Kinase isoforms 3 and 6 (MKK3 and MKK6) are responsible for the phosphorylation and activation of p38, and are hypothesized to play a key role in regulating this pathway without the redundancy seen in downstream effectors. Using FBDD, we have discovered efficient and selective inhibitors of MKK3 and MKK6 that can serve as tool molecules to help further understand the role of these kinases in MAPK signaling, and the potential impact of inhibiting kinases upstream of p38.