Covalent Inhibitors of KEAP1 with Exquisite Selectivity.

The NRF2-KEAP1 interaction is central for cytoprotection against stresses, giving it high clinical significance. Covalent modification of KEAP1 is an efficient approach, but the covalent inhibitors used in the clinic carry undesired side effects originating in their moderate selectivity. Starting with a phenotypic screen, we identified a new covalent inhibitor chemotype that was optimized to deliver a series of potent and highly selective KEAP1 binders.

Global Assessment of Drug Target Engagement and Selectivity of Covalent Cysteine-Reactive Inhibitors Using Alkyne-Functionalized Probes.

Covalent inhibitors are emerging as a promising therapeutic means for efficient and sustained targeting of key disease-driving proteins. As for classic non-covalent inhibitors, understanding target engagement and selectivity is essential for determining optimal dosing and limiting potential on- or off-target toxicity. Here, we present a complementary activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) strategy for unbiased proteome-wide profiling of cysteine-reactive inhibitors based on two orthogonal approaches.

Covalent fragment-based ligand screening approaches for identification of novel ubiquitin proteasome system modulators.

Ubiquitination is a key regulatory mechanism vital for maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Protein degradation is induced by E3 ligases via attachment of ubiquitin chains to substrates. Pharmacological exploitation of this phenomenon via targeted protein degradation (TPD) can be achieved with molecular glues or bifunctional molecules facilitating the formation of ternary complexes between an E3 ligase and a given protein of interest (POI), resulting in ubiquitination of the substrate and subsequent proteolysis by the proteasome.