Discovery of (2,4)-4-(()-2-Amino-3-methylbutanamido)-2-(4-boronobutyl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic Acid (AZD0011), an Actively Transported Prodrug of a Potent Arginase Inhibitor to Treat Cancer.

Arginase is a promising immuno-oncology target that can restore the innate immune response. However, it's highly polar active site often requires potent inhibitors to mimic amino acids, leading to poor passive permeability and low oral exposure. Using structure-based drug design, we discovered a novel proline-based arginase inhibitor () that was potent but had low oral bioavailability in rat.

Design and Synthesis of Acyclic Boronic Acid Arginase Inhibitors.

Arginase has long been a target of interest in immuno-oncology, but discovering an orally bioavailable inhibitor is severely constrained by the requisite boronic acid pharmacophore. We began our drug discovery campaign by building off the β-position of the literature inhibitor ABH (). A divergent synthesis with an Ireland-Claisen rearrangement as the key step allowed access to numerous compounds, some of which we crystallized in the active site of arginase 2.

Development of a quantification method for arginase inhibitors by LC-MS/MS with benzoyl chloride derivatization.

Arginase is an enzyme responsible for converting arginine, a semi-essential amino acid, to ornithine and urea. Arginine depletion suppresses immunity via multiple mechanisms including inhibition of T-cell and NK cell proliferation and activity. Arginase inhibition is therefore an attractive mechanism to potentially reverse immune suppression and thus has been explored as a therapy for oncology and respiratory indications.

Synthesis and Stereochemical Assignment of Arenolide.

The convergent synthesis of candidate stereoisomers of the natural product arenolide was accomplished using recently developed catalytic boron-based reactions. Comparison of the spectral data for candidate structures with that reported for the authentic natural product revealed the likely stereostructure of the natural compound.

Structure-Based Design of Selective Noncovalent CDK12 Inhibitors.

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 12 knockdown via siRNA decreases the transcription of DNA-damage-response genes and sensitizes BRCA wild-type cells to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition. To recapitulate this effect with a small molecule, we sought a potent, selective CDK12 inhibitor. Crystal structures and modeling informed hybridization between dinaciclib and SR-3029, resulting in lead compound 5 [(S)-2-(1-(6-(((6,7-difluoro-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methyl)amino)-9-ethyl-9H-purin-2-yl)piperidin-2-yl)ethan-1-ol].

Correction to "Structure Based Design of Non-Natural Peptidic Macrocyclic Mcl-1 Inhibitors".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.6b00464.

Structure Based Design of Non-Natural Peptidic Macrocyclic Mcl-1 Inhibitors.

Mcl-1 is a pro-apoptotic BH3 protein family member similar to Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Overexpression of Mcl-1 is often seen in various tumors and allows cancer cells to evade apoptosis. Here we report the discovery and optimization of a series of non-natural peptide Mcl-1 inhibitors.

Asymmetric synthesis from terminal alkenes by cascades of diboration and cross-coupling.

Terminal, monosubstituted alkenes are ideal prospective starting materials for organic synthesis because they are manufactured on very large scales and can be functionalized via a broad range of chemical transformations. Alkenes also have the attractive feature of being stable in the presence of many acids, bases, oxidants and reductants. In spite of these attributes, relatively few catalytic enantioselective transformations have been developed that transform aliphatic α-olefins into chiral products with an enantiomeric excess greater then 90 per cent.

Direct stereospecific amination of alkyl and aryl pinacol boronates.

The direct amination of alkyl and aryl pinacol boronates is accomplished with lithiated methoxyamine. This reaction directly provides aliphatic and aromatic amines, stereospecifically, and without preactivation of the boronate substrate.

Catalytic enantioselective 1,2-diboration of 1,3-dienes: versatile reagents for stereoselective allylation.

More with boron: The development of catalytic enantioselective 1,2-diboration of 1,3-dienes enables a new strategy for enantioselective carbonyl allylation reactions (see scheme). These reactions occur with outstanding levels of stereoselection and can be applied to both monosubstituted and 1,1-disubstituted dienes. The carbonyl allylation reactions provide enantiomerically enriched functionalized homoallylic alcohol products.

Pt-catalyzed enantioselective diboration of terminal alkenes with B2(pin)2.

The Pt-catalyzed enantioselective addition of bis(pinacolato)diboron to simple monosubstituted alkenes is described. This reaction occurs in the presence of a readily available chiral phosphonite ligand and is effective with a variety of terminal alkene substrates. Importantly, the reaction can operate with catalyst loadings of only 1 mol % Pt.