Allosteric inhibitors of hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase thumb domain site II: structure-based design and synthesis of new templates.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are a significant medical problem worldwide. The NS5B Polymerase of HCV plays a central role in virus replication and is a prime target for the discovery of new treatment options. We recently disclosed 1H-benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-diones as allosteric inhibitors of NS5B Polymerase. Structural and SAR information guided us in the modification of the core structure leading to new templates with improved activity and toxicity/activity window.

3-Hydroxy-4-oxo-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-2-carboxylates--a new class of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.

A new class of inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase has been optimized to provide selective and highly efficient strand transfer inhibition.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel phosphoramidate prodrugs of 2'-methyl cytidine as inhibitors of hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase.

A variety of new prodrugs of 2'-methyl cytidine based on acyloxy ethylamino phosphoramidates have been synthesized and tested in vitro and in vivo for their biological activity. Compared with the parent drug a 10- to 20-fold increase in formation of nucleotide triphosphate in rat and human hepatocytes could be achieved.

Design and synthesis of bicyclic pyrimidinones as potent and orally bioavailable HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.

HIV integrase is one of the three enzymes encoded by HIV genome and is essential for viral replication, but integrase inhibitors as marketed drugs have just very recently started to emerge. In this study, we show the evolution from the N-methylpyrimidinone structure to bicyclic pyrimidinones. Introduction of a suitably substituted amino moiety modulated the physical-chemical properties of the molecules and conferred nanomolar activity in the inhibition of spread of HIV-1 infection in cell culture. An extensive SAR study led to sulfamide (R)- 22b, which inhibited the strand transfer with an IC50 of 7 nM and HIV infection in MT4 cells with a CIC95 of 44 nM, and ketoamide (S)- 28c that inhibited strand transfer with an IC50 of 12 nM and the HIV infection in MT4 cells with a CIC95 of 13 nM and exhibited a good pharmacokinetic profile when dosed orally to preclinical species.

Inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus NS3 protease with basic amine functionality at the P3-amino acid N-terminus: discovery and optimization of a new series of P2-P4 macrocycles.

In a follow-up to our recent disclosure of P2-P4 macrocyclic inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease (e.g., 1, Chart 1), we report a new but related compound series featuring a basic amine at the N-terminus of the P3-amino acid residue. Replacement of the electroneutral P3-amino acid capping group (which is a feature of almost all tripeptide-like inhibitors of NS3 reported to date) with a basic group is not only tolerated but can result in advantageous cell based potency. Optimization of this new class of P3-amine based inhibitors gave compounds such as 25 and 26 that combine excellent cell based activity with pharmacokinetic properties that are attractive for an antiviral targeting HCV.

Phosphoramidate prodrugs of 2'-C-methylcytidine for therapy of hepatitis C virus infection.

The application of a phosphoramidate prodrug approach to 2'-C-methylcytidine (NM107), the first nucleoside inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase, is reported. 2'-C-Methylcytidine, as its valyl ester prodrug (NM283), was efficacious in reducing the viral load in patients infected with HCV. Several of the phosphoramidates prepared demonstrated a 10- to 200-fold superior potency with respect to the parent nucleoside in the cell-based replicon assay. This is due to higher levels of 2'-C-methylcytidine triphosphate in the cells. These prodrugs are efficiently activated and converted to the triphosphate in hepatocytes of several species. Our SAR studies ultimately led to compounds that gave high levels of NTP in hamster and rat liver after subcutaneous dosing and that were devoid of the toxic phenol moiety usually found in ProTides.

Discovery of raltegravir, a potent, selective orally bioavailable HIV-integrase inhibitor for the treatment of HIV-AIDS infection.

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) integrase is one of the three virally encoded enzymes required for replication and therefore a rational target for chemotherapeutic intervention in the treatment of HIV-1 infection. We report here the discovery of Raltegravir, the first HIV-integrase inhibitor approved by FDA for the treatment of HIV infection. It derives from the evolution of 5,6-dihydroxypyrimidine-4-carboxamides and N-methyl-4-hydroxypyrimidinone-carboxamides, which exhibited potent inhibition of the HIV-integrase catalyzed strand transfer process. Structural modifications on these molecules were made in order to maximize potency as HIV-integrase inhibitors against the wild type virus, a selection of mutants, and optimize the selectivity, pharmacokinetic, and metabolic profiles in preclinical species. The good profile of Raltegravir has enabled its progression toward the end of phase III clinical trials for the treatment of HIV-1 infection and culminated with the FDA approval as the first HIV-integrase inhibitor for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

Structure-based design of amidinophenylurea-derivatives for factor VIIa inhibition.

The amidinophenylurea scaffold was earlier shown to provide an excellent template for the synthesis of novel and potent inhibitors of the blood coagulation factor VIIa. In this contribution we describe the structure-based design of potent ligands guided by X-ray crystallography, molecular modeling and docking studies. The design and synthetic efforts were directed towards novel modifications to explore the protease binding region close to the S4 subsite.