Discovery of 2,4-1-Imidazole Carboxamides as Potent and Selective TAK1 Inhibitors.

Herein we report the discovery of 2,4-1-imidazole carboxamides as novel, biochemically potent, and kinome selective inhibitors of transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1). The target was subjected to a DNA-encoded chemical library (DECL) screen. After hit analysis a cluster of compounds was identified, which was based on a central pyrrole-2,4-1-dicarboxamide scaffold, showing remarkable kinome selectivity.

Fast Iterative Synthetic Approach toward Identification of Novel Highly Selective p38 MAP Kinase Inhibitors.

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases are key mediators of environmental stress response and are promising targets for treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer. Numerous efforts have led to the discovery of several potent inhibitors; however, so far no highly selective type-II inhibitors have been reported. We previously identified VPC-00628 as a potent and selective type-II inhibitor of p38α/β with few off-targets.