Discovery and Structure-Activity Relationship of Cadazolid: A First-In-Class Quinoxolidinone Antibiotic for the Treatment of Infection.

() is one of the leading causes of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. The increasing incidence of strains resistant to currently available therapies highlights the need for alternative treatment options with a novel mode of action. Oxazolidinones that are connected to a quinolone moiety with a pyrrolidine linker, such as compound , are reported to exhibit potent broadspectrum antibacterial activity.

Optimization of LpxC Inhibitor Lead Compounds Focusing on Efficacy and Formulation for High Dose Intravenous Administration.

LpxC inhibitors were optimized starting from lead compounds with limited efficacy and solubility and with the goal to provide new options for the treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens in hospital settings. To enable the development of an aqueous formulation for intravenous administration of the drug at high dose, improvements in both solubility and antibacterial activity in vivo were prioritized early on. This lead optimization program resulted in the discovery of compounds such as and , which exhibited high solubility and potent efficacy against Gram-negative pathogens in animal infection models.

Discovery of Novel Inhibitors of LpxC Displaying Potent in Vitro Activity against Gram-Negative Bacteria.

UDP-3--(()-3-hydroxymyristoyl)--glucosamine deacetylase (LpxC) is as an attractive target for the discovery and development of novel antibacterial drugs to address the critical medical need created by multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria. By using a scaffold hopping approach on a known family of methylsulfone hydroxamate LpxC inhibitors, several hit series eliciting potent antibacterial activities against Enterobacteriaceae and were identified. Subsequent hit-to-lead optimization, using cocrystal structures of inhibitors bound to LpxC as guides, resulted in the discovery of multiple chemical series based on (i) isoindolin-1-ones, (ii) 4,5-dihydro-6-thieno[2,3-]pyrrol-6-ones, and (iii) 1,2-dihydro-3-pyrrolo[1,2-]imidazole-3-ones.

Discovery and Optimization of Isoquinoline Ethyl Ureas as Antibacterial Agents.

Our strategy to combat resistant bacteria consisted of targeting the GyrB/ParE ATP-binding sites located on bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV and not utilized by marketed antibiotics. Screening around the minimal ethyl urea binding motif led to the identification of isoquinoline ethyl urea 13 as a promising starting point for fragment evolution. The optimization was guided by structure-based design and focused on antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo, culminating in the discovery of unprecedented substituents able to interact with conserved residues within the ATP-binding site.

Efficient carboazidation of alkenes using a radical desulfonylative azide transfer process.

The radical-mediated carboazidation of terminal alkenes using electrophilic alkanesulfonyl azides is reported. A single reagent delivers the necessary electrophilic alkyl radical as well as the azido group, and good yields are obtained by using a moderate excess of the carboazidating reagent (1.5-2 equiv).

Radical amination with sulfonyl azides: a powerful method for the formation of C-N bonds.

A novel reaction for the introduction of an azide moiety by means of a mild radical process is currently under development. Sulfonyl azides are suitable azidating agents for nucleophilic radicals, such as secondary and tertiary alkyl radicals. More electrophilic radicals, such as enolate radicals, do not react with sulfonyl azides.

A convenient tin-free procedure for radical carboazidation and azidation.

The radical carboazidation of alkenes has been achieved in water with triethylborane as initiator. This efficient process is complete in 1 h at room temperature in an open system. These new tin-free carboazidation conditions are environmentally friendly and allow running reactions with an excess of either the alkene or the radical precursor.

Radical carboazidation: expedient assembly of the core structure of various alkaloid families.

A procedure for one-pot intermolecular radical addition of 2-iodoesters to terminal alkenes followed by azidation of the radical adduct has been developed. This sequential reaction represents an alkene carboazidation process. Its efficacy is demonstrated by the two-step preparation of various lactams such as pyrrolidinones, pyrrolizidinones, and indolizidinones.