Discovery of PF-07265028, A Selective Small Molecule Inhibitor of Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 (HPK1) for the Treatment of Cancer.

Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1/MAP4K1) represents a high interest target for the treatment of cancer through an immune-mediated mechanism. Herein we present highlights of the drug discovery campaign within the lactam/azalactam series of inhibitors that yielded a small molecule (, PF-07265028), which was advanced to a phase 1 clinical trial (NCT05233436). Key components of the discovery effort included optimization of potency through mitigation of ligand strain as guided by the use of cocrystal structures, mitigation of ADME liabilities (plasma instability and fraction metabolism by CYP2D6), and optimization of kinase selectivity, particularly over immune-modulating kinases with high homology to HPK1.

Synthetic Approaches to the New Drugs Approved During 2022.

In 2022, 23 new small molecule chemical entities were approved as drugs by the United States FDA, European Union EMA, Japan PMDA, and China NMPA. This review describes the synthetic approach demonstrated on largest scale for each new drug based on patent or primary literature. The synthetic routes highlight practical methods to construct molecules, sometimes on the manufacturing scale, to access the new drugs.

High-Throughput Capillary Liquid Chromatography Using a Droplet Injection and Application to Reaction Screening.

The cycle time of a standard liquid chromatography (LC) system is the sum of the time for the chromatographic run and the autosampler injection sequence. Although LC separation times in the 1-10 s range have been demonstrated, injection sequences are commonly >15 s, limiting throughput possible with LC separations. Further, such separations are performed on relatively large bore columns requiring flow rates of ≥5 mL/min, thus generating large volumes of mobile phase waste when used for large scale screening and increasing the difficulty in interfacing to mass spectrometry.

Probing the chemical 'reactome' with high-throughput experimentation data.

High-throughput experimentation (HTE) has the potential to improve our understanding of organic chemistry by systematically interrogating reactivity across diverse chemical spaces. Notable bottlenecks include few publicly available large-scale datasets and the need for facile interpretation of these data's hidden chemical insights. Here we report the development of a high-throughput experimentation analyser, a robust and statistically rigorous framework, which is applicable to any HTE dataset regardless of size, scope or target reaction outcome, which yields interpretable correlations between starting material(s), reagents and outcomes.

Decarboxylative Cross-Electrophile Coupling of (Hetero)Aromatic Bromides and NHP Esters.

Aryl bromides are known to be challenging substrates in the decarboxylative cross-electrophile coupling with redox-active NHP esters-the majority of such processes utilize aryl iodides. Herein, we describe the development of conditions that are suitable for the decarboxylative cross-electrophile coupling of NHP esters and a wide range of (hetero)aryl bromides. The key advances that allowed for the use of aryl bromides in this reaction are (1) the identification of ligand as an optimal ligand for the use of electron-neutral and deficient aryl bromides and (2) the significant improvement in yield that iodide salts and excess heterogenous zinc impart to this reaction.

Synthetic Approaches to the New Drugs Approved During 2021.

Each year, new drugs are introduced to the market, representing structures that have affinity for biological targets implicated in human diseases and conditions. These new chemical entities (NCEs), particularly small molecules and antibody-drug conjugates, provide insight into molecular recognition and serve as potential leads for the design of future medicines. This annual review is part of a continuing series highlighting the most likely process-scale synthetic approaches to 35 NCEs that were first approved anywhere in the world during 2021.

Preparation of Azinones from (Cyclopropylmethoxy)azine Ethers.

A general and convenient procedure for the synthesis of azinones is presented. Cyclopropylmethanol is readily introduced onto various azines where it functions as both a protecting group and surrogate for hydroxyl. After acidic deprotection, under mild reaction conditions, the corresponding azinones are formed and isolated in excellent yields.

Synthetic Approaches to the New Drugs Approved During 2020.

New drugs introduced to the market are privileged structures that have affinities for biological targets implicated in human diseases and conditions. These new chemical entities (NCEs), particularly small molecules and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), provide insight into molecular recognition and simultaneously function as leads for the design of future medicines. This Review is part of a continuing series presenting the most likely process-scale synthetic approaches to 44 new chemical entities approved for the first time anywhere in the world during 2020.

An oral SARS-CoV-2 M inhibitor clinical candidate for the treatment of COVID-19.

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global pandemic. Alongside vaccines, antiviral therapeutics are an important part of the healthcare response to countering the ongoing threat presented by COVID-19. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of PF-07321332, an orally bioavailable SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitor with in vitro pan-human coronavirus antiviral activity and excellent off-target selectivity and in vivo safety profiles.

Synthesis of α-Heteroaryl Propionic Esters by Palladium-Catalyzed α-Heteroarylation of Silyl Ketene Acetals.

A practical and efficient synthesis of α-heteroaryl propionic esters is developed by employing palladium-catalyzed α-heteroarylation of silyl ketene acetals, forming a wide variety of α-heteroaryl propionic esters with various substituents and functionalities in high yields. The success of this transformation is credited to the development of the bulky P,P═O ligand. The method has provided an efficient synthesis of α-heteroaryl propionic acids.

Synthetic Approaches to the New Drugs Approved during 2019.

New drugs introduced to the market are privileged structures having affinities for biological targets implicated in human diseases and conditions. These new chemical entities (NCEs), particularly small molecules and antibody-drug conjugates, provide insight into molecular recognition and simultaneously function as leads for the design of future medicines. This review is part of a continuing series presenting the most likely process-scale synthetic approaches to 40 NCEs approved for the first time anywhere in the world in 2019.

Targeting MRTF/SRF in CAP2-dependent dilated cardiomyopathy delays disease onset.

About one-third of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) cases are caused by mutations in sarcomere or cytoskeletal proteins. However, treating the cytoskeleton directly is not possible because drugs that bind to actin are not well tolerated. Mutations in the actin binding protein CAP2 can cause DCM and KO mice, either whole body (CAP2-KO) or cardiomyocyte-specific KOs (CAP2-CKO) develop DCM with cardiac conduction disease.

Open-Air Alkylation Reactions in Photoredox-Catalyzed DNA-Encoded Library Synthesis.

DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology is a powerful tool commonly used by the pharmaceutical industry for the identification of compounds with affinity to biomolecular targets. Success in this endeavor lies in sampling diverse chemical libraries. However, current DELs tend to be deficient in C(sp) carbon counts.

Palladium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Alkenylation of Sulfenate Anions.

A novel approach to synthesize enantio-enriched alkenyl/aryl sulfoxides is achieved by using CsF to generate sulfenate anions and conducting the catalytic enantioselective alkenylation with [Pd(allyl)Cl]/(2 R)-1-[(1 R)-1-[bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)phosphino]ethyl]-2-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (SL-J002-1). A wide variety of sulfoxides bearing sensitive functional groups are produced with high yields (up to 94%) and enantioselectivities (up to 92%).

Total Synthesis of (-)-Nodulisporic Acids D, C, and B: Evolution of a Unified Synthetic Strategy.

A unified synthetic strategy leading to the total synthesis of (-)-nodulisporic acids D, C, and B is described. Key synthetic transformations include a nickel-chromium-mediated cyclization, an aromatic ring functionalization employing a novel copper-promoted alkylation, a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling cascade/indole ring construction, and a palladium-mediated regio- and diastereoselective allylic substitution/cyclization reaction, the latter to construct ring D.

Sulfenate anions as organocatalysts for benzylic chloromethyl coupling polymerization via C=C bond formation.

Organocatalytic polymerization reactions have a number of advantages over their metal-catalyzed counterparts, including environmental friendliness, ease of catalyst synthesis and storage, and alternative reaction pathways. Here we introduce an organocatalytic polymerization method called benzylic chloromethyl-coupling polymerization (BCCP). BCCP is catalyzed by organocatalysts not previously employed in polymerization processes (sulfenate anions), which are generated from bench-stable sulfoxide precatalysts.

Scalable thioarylation of unprotected peptides and biomolecules under Ni/photoredox catalysis.

Site-specific functionalization of unprotected native peptides and biomolecules remains a useful transformation in synthetic design and chemical biology, yet until recently, advancements in transition metal-catalyzed methods, which have prevailed in organic synthesis, have been relatively ineffective when applied to large and structurally complex biomolecules. Here, the mechanistically distinct, Ni/photoredox-catalyzed arylation of unprotected, native thiols (, cysteine residues) is reported - a process initiated through a visible light-promoted, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) event under ambient conditions. Sub-stoichiometric loadings of the dual-catalyst system (≤5 mol%) are employed, granting excellent site-specificity, broad substrate scope, and low chemical waste.

Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationship Study of Biliatresone, a Plant Isoflavonoid That Causes Biliary Atresia.

We report the first synthesis of the plant isoflavonoid biliatresone. The convergent synthesis has been applied to the synthesis of several analogs, which have facilitated the first structure-activity relationship study for this environmental toxin that, on ingestion, recapitulates the phenotype of biliary atresia.

Transition-Metal-Free Radical C(sp)-C(sp) and C(sp)-C(sp) Coupling Enabled by 2-Azaallyls as Super-Electron-Donors and Coupling-Partners.

The past decade has witnessed the rapid development of radical generation strategies and their applications in C-C bond-forming reactions. Most of these processes require initiators, transition metal catalysts, or organometallic reagents. Herein, we report the discovery of a simple organic system (2-azaallyl anions) that enables radical coupling reactions under transition-metal-free conditions.

Transition-metal-free chemo- and regioselective vinylation of azaallyls.

Direct C(sp)-C(sp) bond formation under transition-metal-free conditions offers an atom-economical, inexpensive and environmentally benign alternative to traditional transition-metal-catalysed cross-coupling reactions. A new chemo- and regioselective coupling protocol between 3-aryl-substituted-1,1-diphenyl-2-azaallyl derivatives and vinyl bromides has been developed. This is the first transition-metal-free cross-coupling of azaallyls with vinyl bromide electrophiles and delivers allylic amines in excellent yields (up to 99%).

Comprehensive pharmacological profiling of neurofibromatosis cell lines.

Patients with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) are predisposed to tumors of the nervous system. NF1 patients predominantly develop neurofibromas, and Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors (MPNST) while NF2 patients develop schwannomas and meningiomas. Here we quantified the drug sensitivities of NF1 and NF2 tumor cell lines in a high throughput platform.

A Method for Identifying and Developing Functional Group Tolerant Catalytic Reactions: Application to the Buchwald-Hartwig Amination.

Transition-metal catalysis has revolutionized organic synthesis, but difficulties can often be encountered when applied to highly functionalized molecules, such as pharmaceuticals and their precursors. This results in discovery collections that are enriched in substances possessing less desirable properties (high lipophilicity, low polar surface area). Masking groups are often employed to circumvent this problem, which is in opposition to the inherent ideality of these methods for green chemistry and atom economy.

Catalytic borylation of methane.

Despite steady progress in catalytic methods for the borylation of hydrocarbons, methane has not yet been subject to this transformation. Here we report the iridium-catalyzed borylation of methane using bis(pinacolborane) in cyclohexane solvent. Initially, trace amounts of borylated products were detected with phenanthroline-coordinated Ir complexes.

Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Arylation of α,β-Unsaturated Imines: Catalyst-Controlled Synthesis of Enamine and Allylic Amine Derivatives.

A unique chemo- and regioselective α- and γ-arylation of palladium azapentadienyl intermediates is presented. Two distinct catalysts and sets of conditions successfully controlled the regioselectivity of the arylation. These methods provide the first umpolung C-H functionalization of azapentadienyl palladium intermediates and enable the divergent synthesis of allylic amine and enamine derivatives, which are of significant interest in the pharmaceutical industry.

Organic chemistry. Nanomole-scale high-throughput chemistry for the synthesis of complex molecules.

At the forefront of new synthetic endeavors, such as drug discovery or natural product synthesis, large quantities of material are rarely available and timelines are tight. A miniaturized automation platform enabling high-throughput experimentation for synthetic route scouting to identify conditions for preparative reaction scale-up would be a transformative advance. Because automated, miniaturized chemistry is difficult to carry out in the presence of solids or volatile organic solvents, most of the synthetic "toolkit" cannot be readily miniaturized.