Rapid Evolution of a Fragment-like Molecule to Pan-Metallo-Beta-Lactamase Inhibitors: Initial Leads toward Clinical Candidates.

With the emergence and rapid spreading of NDM-1 and existence of clinically relevant VIM-1 and IMP-1, discovery of pan inhibitors targeting metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) became critical in our battle against bacterial infection. Concurrent with our fragment and high-throughput screenings, we performed a knowledge-based search of known metallo-beta-lactamase inhibitors (MBLIs) to identify starting points for early engagement of medicinal chemistry. A class of compounds exemplified by , discovered earlier as metallo-beta-lactamase inhibitors, was selected for virtual screening.

Nocathiacin, Thiazomycin, and Polar Analogs Are Highly Effective Agents against Toxigenic .

is a commensal Gram-positive gut bacterium that causes -associated diarrhea. Currently available antibacterial therapeutic treatment options are effective except for the repeated recurrences significantly burdening the health care system and causing mortality. The development of new therapeutic modalities including new effective antibiotics with a low rate of recurrence has been unpredictive and exceedingly challenging, requiring continued profiling of many new classes of antibiotics.

Use of Translational Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Infection Models To Understand the Impact of Neutropenia on the Efficacy of Tedizolid Phosphate.

Tedizolid phosphate, the prodrug of the active antibiotic tedizolid, is an oxazolidinone for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections. Studies in a mouse thigh infection model demonstrated that tedizolid has improved potency and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) compared with those of linezolid. Subsequent studies showed that the efficacy of tedizolid was enhanced in immunocompetent (IC) mice compared with neutropenic (immunosuppressed [IS]) mice, with stasis at clinically relevant doses being achieved only in the presence of granulocytes.

Discovery of a highly potent orally bioavailable imidazo-[1, 2-a]pyrazine Aurora inhibitor.

Imidazo-[1, 2-a]pyrazine 1 is a potent inhibitor of Aurora A and B kinase in vitro and is effective in in vivo tumor models, but has poor oral bioavailbility and is unsuitable for oral dosing. We describe herein our effort to improve oral exposure in this class, resulting ultimately in the identification of a potent Aurora inhibitor 16, which exhibited good drug exposure levels across species upon oral dosing, and showed excellent in vivo efficacy in a mouse xenograft tumor model when dosed orally.

Can We Make Small Molecules Lean? Optimization of a Highly Lipophilic TarO Inhibitor.

We describe our optimization efforts to improve the physicochemical properties, solubility, and off-target profile of 1, an inhibitor of TarO, an early stage enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway for wall teichoic acid (WTA) synthesis. Compound 1 displayed a TarO IC of 125 nM in an enzyme assay and possessed very high lipophilicity (clogP = 7.1) with no measurable solubility in PBS buffer.

TarO-specific inhibitors of wall teichoic acid biosynthesis restore β-lactam efficacy against methicillin-resistant staphylococci.

The widespread emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has dramatically eroded the efficacy of current β-lactam antibiotics and created an urgent need for new treatment options. We report an S. aureus phenotypic screening strategy involving chemical suppression of the growth inhibitory consequences of depleting late-stage wall teichoic acid biosynthesis.

Discovery of novel spiro 1,3,4-thiadiazolines as potent, orally bioavailable and brain penetrant KSP inhibitors.

Kinesin spindle protein (KSP) is a mitotic kinesin that is expressed only in proliferating cells and plays a key role in spindle pole separation, formation of a bipolar mitotic spindle, as well as centrosome separation and maturation. Inhibition of KSP has the potential to provide anti-tumor activity while avoiding peripheral neuropathy associated with some microtubule-targeted drugs. Based on MK-0731 and related heterocyclic compounds targeting the KSP monastrol binding site, structurally constrained spiro-cyclic KSP inhibitors were designed.

Kibdelomycin is a potent and selective agent against toxigenic Clostridium difficile.

Clostridium difficile is the causative agent of C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), with increased risk in elderly populations. Kibdelomycin, a novel natural-product inhibitor of type II topoisomerase enzymes, was evaluated for activity against C.

Discovery of wall teichoic acid inhibitors as potential anti-MRSA β-lactam combination agents.

Innovative strategies are needed to combat drug resistance associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Here, we investigate the potential of wall teichoic acid (WTA) biosynthesis inhibitors as combination agents to restore β-lactam efficacy against MRSA. Performing a whole-cell pathway-based screen, we identified a series of WTA inhibitors (WTAIs) targeting the WTA transporter protein, TarG.

Restoring methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus susceptibility to β-lactam antibiotics.

Despite the need for new antibiotics to treat drug-resistant bacteria, current clinical combinations are largely restricted to β-lactam antibiotics paired with β-lactamase inhibitors. We have adapted a Staphylococcus aureus antisense knockdown strategy to genetically identify the cell division Z ring components-FtsA, FtsZ, and FtsW-as β-lactam susceptibility determinants of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA).

SCH 1473759, a novel Aurora inhibitor, demonstrates enhanced anti-tumor activity in combination with taxanes and KSP inhibitors.

Purpose: Aurora kinases are required for orderly progression of cells through mitosis, and inhibition of these kinases by siRNA or small molecule inhibitors results in cell death. We previously reported the synthesis of SCH 1473759, a novel sub-nanomolar Aurora A/B inhibitor.

Methods: We utilized SCH 1473759 and a panel of tumor cell lines and xenograft models to gain knowledge about optimal dosing schedule and chemotherapeutic combinations for Aurora A/B inhibitors.

SCH 2047069, a novel oral kinesin spindle protein inhibitor, shows single-agent antitumor activity and enhances the efficacy of chemotherapeutics.

Kinesin spindle protein (KSP) is a mitotic kinesin required for the formation of the bipolar mitotic spindle, and inhibition of this motor protein results in mitotic arrest and cell death. KSP inhibitors show preclinical antitumor activity and are currently undergoing testing in clinical trials. These agents have been dosed intravenously using various dosing schedules.

Discovery of orally bioavailable imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine-based Aurora kinase inhibitors.

We report a series of potent imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine-based Aurora kinase inhibitors. Optimization of the solvent accessible 8-position led to improvements in both oral bioavailability and off-target kinase inhibition. Compound 25 demonstrates anti-tumor activity in an A2780 ovarian tumor xenograft model.

Discovery of a Potent, Injectable Inhibitor of Aurora Kinases Based on the Imidazo-[1,2-a]-Pyrazine Core.

The imidazo-[1,2-a]-pyrazine (1) is a dual inhibitor of Aurora kinases A and B with modest cell potency (IC50 = 250 nM) and low solubility (5 μM). Lead optimization guided by the binding mode led to the acyclic amino alcohol 12k (SCH 1473759), which is a picomolar inhibitor of Aurora kinases (TdF K d Aur A = 0.02 nM and Aur B = 0.

A fully human insulin-like growth factor-I receptor antibody SCH 717454 (Robatumumab) has antitumor activity as a single agent and in combination with cytotoxics in pediatric tumor xenografts.

The insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) and its ligands (IGF-I and IGF-II) have been implicated in the growth, survival, and metastasis of a broad range of malignancies including pediatric tumors. Blocking the IGF-IR action is a potential cancer treatment. A fully human neutralizing monoclonal antibody, SCH 717454 (19D12, robatumumab), specific to IGF-IR, has shown potent antitumor effects in ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo.

SCH529074, a small molecule activator of mutant p53, which binds p53 DNA binding domain (DBD), restores growth-suppressive function to mutant p53 and interrupts HDM2-mediated ubiquitination of wild type p53.

Abrogation of p53 function occurs in almost all human cancers, with more than 50% of cancers harboring inactivating mutations in p53 itself. Mutation of p53 is indicative of highly aggressive cancers and poor prognosis. The vast majority of mutations in p53 occur in its core DNA binding domain (DBD) and result in inactivation of p53 by reducing its thermodynamic stability at physiological temperature.