Discovery and clinical translation of ceperognastat, an O-GlcNAcase (OGA) inhibitor, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: The aggregation and spread of hyperphosphorylated, pathological tau in the human brain is hypothesized to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as other neurogenerative tauopathies. O-GlcNAcylation, an important post-translational modification of tau and many other proteins, is significantly decreased in brain tissue of AD patients relative to healthy controls. Increased tau O-GlcNAcylation has been shown to reduce tau pathology in mouse in vivo tauopathy models.

Robust Pharmacodynamic Effect of LY3202626, a Central Nervous System Penetrant, Low Dose BACE1 Inhibitor, in Humans and Nonclinical Species.

Background: The development of beta-site amyloid-beta precursor protein cleaving enzyme (BACE) 1 inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease requires optimization of inhibitor potency, selectivity, and brain penetration. Moreover, there is a need for low-dose compounds since liver toxicity was found with some BACE inhibitors.

Objective: To determine whether the high potency and robust pharmacodynamic effect of the BACE inhibitor LY3202626 observed in nonclinical species translated to humans.

Discovery and Early Clinical Development of LY3202626, a Low-Dose, CNS-Penetrant BACE Inhibitor.

The beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1, known as BACE1, has been a widely pursued Alzheimer's disease drug target owing to its critical role in the production of amyloid-beta. We have previously reported the clinical development of LY2811376 and LY2886721. LY2811376 advanced to Phase I before development was terminated due to nonclinical retinal toxicity.

Preparation and biological evaluation of BACE1 inhibitors: Leveraging trans-cyclopropyl moieties as ligand efficient conformational constraints.

Inhibition of BACE1 has become an important strategy in the quest for disease modifying agents to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. We previously reported the fragment-based discovery of LY2811376, the first BACE1 inhibitor reported to demonstrate robust reduction of human CSF Aβ in a Phase I clinical trial. We also reported on the discovery of LY2886721, a potent BACE1 inhibitor that reached phase 2 clinical trials.

Preparation and biological evaluation of conformationally constrained BACE1 inhibitors.

The BACE1 enzyme is a key target for Alzheimer's disease. During our BACE1 research efforts, fragment screening revealed that bicyclic thiazine 3 had low millimolar activity against BACE1. Analysis of the co-crystal structure of 3 suggested that potency could be increased through extension toward the S3 pocket and through conformational constraint of the thiazine core.

The potent BACE1 inhibitor LY2886721 elicits robust central Aβ pharmacodynamic responses in mice, dogs, and humans.

BACE1 is a key protease controlling the formation of amyloid β, a peptide hypothesized to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, the development of potent and selective inhibitors of BACE1 has been a focus of many drug discovery efforts in academia and industry. Herein, we report the nonclinical and early clinical development of LY2886721, a BACE1 active site inhibitor that reached phase 2 clinical trials in AD.

Robust central reduction of amyloid-β in humans with an orally available, non-peptidic β-secretase inhibitor.

According to the amyloid cascade hypothesis, cerebral deposition of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) is critical for Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Aβ generation is initiated when β-secretase (BACE1) cleaves the amyloid precursor protein. For more than a decade, BACE1 has been a prime target for designing drugs to prevent or treat AD.

Catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-yohimbine.

The total synthesis of (+)-yohimbine was achieved in 11 steps and 14% overall yield. The absolute configuration was established through a highly enantioselective thiourea-catalyzed acyl-Pictet-Spengler reaction, and the remaining 4 stereocenters were set simultaneously in a substrate-controlled intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction.

Total synthesis of (-)-spinosyn A: examination of structural features that govern the stereoselectivity of the key transannular Diels-Alder reaction.

A study of elements of stereochemical control in transannular Diels-Alder reactions leading to the decahydro-as-indacene core of (-)-spinosyn A is described. Initial studies focused on macrocyclic pentaene 9, which includes C(6)-Br and C(8)-OTBS substituents. Excellent selectivity (>95:5) was observed in the cycloaddition of 9 as a consequence of 1,3-allylic strain interactions involving the C(6) and C(8) substituents in the disfavored TS-2.

Total synthesis of (-)-spinosyn A.

A convergent, highly stereoselective total synthesis of (-)-spinosyn A (1) is described. Key features of the synthesis include the transannular Diels-Alder reaction of macrocyclic pentaene 11 and the transannular Morita-Baylis-Hillman cyclization of 12 that generates tetracycle 26. The total synthesis of (-)-spinosyn A was completed by a sequence involving the highly beta-selective glycosidation reaction of 13 and glycosyl imidate 30.

Application of the intramolecular vinylogous Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction toward the synthesis of the spinosyn A tricyclic nucleus.

[reaction: see text] A concise synthesis of the spinosyn A tricyclic nucleus 27 has been developed by a route featuring a one-pot tandem intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction and intramolecular vinylogous Morita-Baylis-Hillman cyclization in which five stereocenters in tricycle 10 are set with excellent selectivity.

The vinylogous intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction: synthesis of functionalized cyclopentenes and cyclohexenes with trialkylphosphines as nucleophilic catalysts.

The development of the vinylogous intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction for the synthesis of functionalized cyclopentenes and cyclohexenes is described. The reaction involves the trialkyphosphine-catalyzed cyclization of 1,6- or 1,7-diactivated 1,5-hexadienes or 1,6-heptadienes, containing carboxyaldehyde, methyl ketone, or methoxycarbonyl as the olefin activating groups. A representative example of this reaction is the Me(3)P-catalyzed cyclization of 1a in tert-amyl alcohol, which provides the substituted cyclopentene 2a in 95% yield and with 97:3 regioselectivity.