Background: The metabolism of tryptophan to kynurenines (KYN) by indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase or tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase is a key pathway of constitutive and adaptive tumor immune resistance. The immunosuppressive effects of KYN in the tumor microenvironment are predominantly mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a cytosolic transcription factor that broadly suppresses immune cell function. Inhibition of AhR thus offers an antitumor therapy opportunity via restoration of immune system functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry (FiMC) is the largest international Medicinal Chemistry conference in the German speaking area and took place from April 3 to 5 2023 in Vienna (Austria). Fortunately, after being cancelled in 2020 and two years (2021-2022) of entirely virtual meetings, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FiMC could be held in a face-to-face format again. Organized by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), the Division of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry of the German Pharmaceutical Society (DPhG), together with the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the Austrian Chemical Society (GÖCH), the Austrian Pharmaceutical Society (ÖPhG), and a local organization committee from the University of Vienna headed by Thierry Langer, the meeting brought together 260 participants from 21 countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry (FiMC) meeting, which represents the largest international medicinal chemistry conference in Germany, took place from March 14 to 16 2022 in a fully virtual format. Organized by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) together with the Division of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry of the German Pharmaceutical Society (DPhG) and a "local" organization committee from the University of Freiburg headed by Manfred Jung, the meeting brought together 271 participants from around 20 countries. The program included 33 lectures by leading scientists from industry and academia as well as early career investigators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngew Chem Int Ed Engl
April 2021
Purpose: 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) is an essential regulator of cellular energy homeostasis and has been associated with different pathologies, including cancer. Precisely defining the biological role of AMPK necessitates the availability of a potent and selective inhibitor.
Methods: High-throughput screening and chemical optimization were performed to identify a novel AMPK inhibitor.
The ATR kinase plays a key role in the DNA damage response by activating essential signaling pathways of DNA damage repair, especially in response to replication stress. Because DNA damage and replication stress are major sources of genomic instability, selective ATR inhibition has been recognized as a promising new approach in cancer therapy. We now report the identification and preclinical evaluation of the novel, clinical ATR inhibitor BAY 1895344.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe serine/threonine kinase TBK1 (TANK-binding kinase 1) and its homologue IKKε are noncanonical members of the inhibitor of the nuclear factor κB (IκB) kinase family. These kinases play important roles in multiple cellular pathways and, in particular, in inflammation. Herein, we describe our investigations on a family of benzimidazoles and the identification of the potent and highly selective TBK1/IKKε inhibitor BAY-985.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe DNA damage response (DDR) secures the integrity of the genome of eukaryotic cells. DDR deficiencies can promote tumorigenesis but concurrently may increase dependence on alternative repair pathways. The ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase plays a central role in the DDR by activating essential signaling pathways of DNA damage repair.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is aberrantly activated in many disease states, including tumor cells, either by growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases or by the genetic mutation and amplification of key pathway components. A variety of PI3K isoforms play differential roles in cancers. As such, the development of PI3K inhibitors from novel compound classes should lead to differential pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles and allow exploration in various indications, combinations, and dosing regimens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlkaloids account for some of the most beautiful and biologically active natural products. Although they are usually classified along biosynthetic criteria, they can also be categorized according to certain structural motifs. Amongst these, the α-tertiary amine (ATA), i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFN-Alkenyl ureas and N-alkenyl carbamates, like other N-acyl enamines, are typically nucleophilic at their β-carbon. However, by incorporating an α-aryl substituent, we show that they will also undergo attack at the β-carbon by organolithium nucleophiles, leading to the products of carbolithiation. The carbolithiation of E and Z N-alkenyl ureas is diastereospecific, and N-tert-butoxycarbonyl N-alkenyl carbamates give carbolithiation products that may be deprotected in situ to provide a new connective route to hindered amines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the presence of (-)-sparteine or a (+)-sparteine surrogate, organolithiums add to N-alkenyl-N'-arylureas to give benzylic organolithiums in an enantioselective manner. Under the influence of DMPU, these organolithiums undergo rearrangement with migration of the N'-aryl ring from N to C, leading to the urea derivatives of enantiomerically enriched amines bearing tertiary substituents. Basic hydrolysis returns the functionalized amine, providing a new synthetic route to compounds with quaternary stereogenic centers bearing nitrogen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeprotonation of benzylic ureas, carbamates, and thiocarbamates bearing N'-alkenyl substituents generates carbanions which undergo intramolecular migration of the alkenyl group to the carbanionic center. Solvolysis of the urea products generates α-alkenylated amines. With an enantiomerically pure starting urea, migration proceeds stereospecifically, generating in enantiomerically enriched form products containing allylic quaternary stereogenic centers bearing N.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuaternary centres bearing a nitrogen substituent (α-tertiary amines and their derivatives) are found in a variety of bioactive molecules but pose a major challenge in synthesis, particularly when enantiomeric purity is required. Approaches comparable to those used for tertiary alcohols are typically hampered by the poor electrophilicity of imines, requiring powerful nucleophiles that may also act as bases. A set of powerful alternative approaches make use of the rearrangement of readily available precursors, often (but not always) with formation of a new tertiary carbon to nitrogen bond.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFN-Vinyl ureas are emerging as a valuable class of compounds with both nucleophilic and electrophilic reactivity. They may be made by capturing the enamine tautomer of an imine with an isocyanate, a reaction which in general leads to the E isomer of the vinyl urea. Deprotonation of such a vinyl urea, or of an allyl urea, generates a dipole stabilized Z-allyl anion which may be protonated to return the Z-vinyl urea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganolithiums add in an umpolung fashion to the beta-carbon of N-carbamoyl enamines (N-vinyl ureas). The reaction proceeds with syn diastereospecificity and provides urea-stabilized, configurationally defined organolithiums. Facilitated by coordinating solvents (THF or DMPU), these undergo intramolecular attack on an N'-aryl group, resulting in retentive arylation of the organolithium and hence overall addition of an alkyl or aryl group to both carbon atoms of the urea-substituted alkene.
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