(1R,2R)-N-(1-cyanocyclopropyl)-2-(6-methoxy-1,3,4,5-tetrahydropyrido[4,3-b]indole-2-carbonyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide (AZD4996): a potent and highly selective cathepsin K inhibitor for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Directed screening of nitrile compounds revealed 3 as a highly potent cathepsin K inhibitor but with cathepsin S activity and very poor stability to microsomes. Synthesis of compounds with reduced molecular complexity, such as 7, revealed key SAR and demonstrated that baseline physical properties and in vitro stability were in fact excellent for this series. The tricycle carboline P3 unit was discovered by hypothesis-based design using existing structural information.

Towards the automatic analysis of NMR spectra: part 7. Assignment of 1H by employing both 1H and 1H/13C correlation spectra.

A reliable method of automatically assigning one-dimensional proton spectra is described. The method relies on the alignment of the proton spectrum with an associated heteronuclear single-quantum coherence (HSQC) spectrum, transferring the stoichiometry and couplings to the HSQC. The HSQC spectrum is then assigned using a linear assignment procedure in which a fitness function incorporating (1)H chemical shifts, (1)H couplings and (13)C shifts are employed.