Design, synthesis, and characterization of novel, nonquaternary reactivators of GF-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase.

The goal of this research was to identify structurally novel, non-quaternarypyridinium reactivators of GF (cyclosarin)-inhibited hAChE that possess the capacity to mediate in vitro reactivation of GF-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE). New compounds were designed, synthesized and assessed in GF-inhibited hAChE assays. Structure activity relationships for AChE binding and reactivation of GF-inhibited hAChE were developed.

Targeting HER2-positive cancer with dolastatin 15 derivatives conjugated to trastuzumab, novel antibody-drug conjugates.

Purpose: Targeting tubulin binders to cancer cells using antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) has great potential to become an effective cancer treatment with low normal tissue toxicity. The nature of the linker used to tether the tubulin binder to the antibody and the conjugation sites on the antibody and the small molecule are important factors in the ADC stability and effectiveness.

Methods: We explored the use of tubulin-targeting dolastatin 15 derivatives (Dol15) tethered covalently to a representative antibody, trastuzumab, via cleavable and non-cleavable linkers at varying antibody reactive sites (i.

Synthetic studies on formamidopyrimidines related to clofarabine.

Degradation of clofarabine (3) in 0.9% saline solution at 100 degrees C afforded three degradation products which were determined to be formamidopyrimidines 4-6. Compounds 4 and 5 were assigned as C(1') anomers on the basis of one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR experiments, whereas 6 was found to be the formamidopyrimidine lacking the sugar moiety.

Discovery and development of clofarabine: a nucleoside analogue for treating cancer.

The treatment of acute leukaemias, which are the most common paediatric cancers, has improved considerably in recent decades, with complete response rates approaching approximately 90% in some cases. However, there remains a major need for treatments for patients who do not achieve or maintain complete remission, for whom the prognosis is very poor. In this article, we describe the challenges involved in the discovery and development of clofarabine, a second-generation nucleoside analogue that received accelerated approval from the US FDA at the end of 2004 for the treatment of paediatric patients 1-21 years old with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukaemia after at least two prior regimens.

Preparation of a fludarabine intermediate via selective alkylation of 2-fluoroadenine.

The reaction between 2-fluoroadenine (3) and 1,3,5-tri-O-benzyl-1-alpha-D-chloroarabinofuranose (4) with potassium t-amylate was evaluated in various solvents to afford 9-beta-D-(2,3,5-tri-O-benzyl-arabinofuranosyl)-2-fluoroadenine (5) and the corresponding alpha-anomer (6). In addition, 7-beta-D-(2,3,5-tri-O-benzyl-arabinofuranosyl)-2-fluoroadenine (7) and an unusual "bis-fluoroadenine" nucleoside (8) were isolated as byproducts. The highest anomeric ratio (beta/alpha > 10) and conversion (> 80%) were observed with the highly polar solvent sulfolane.

Formal synthesis of angiogenesis inhibitor NM-3.

We report the formal synthesis of angiogenesis inhibitor NM-3 (1) in six steps from either of the 2,4-dimethoxyhalobenzenes 13a,b or 3,5-dimethoxychlorobenzene (13c). The first key reaction is the regiospecific alkylation/rearrangement between the aryne derived from 13a-c with sodium diethylmalonate in THF to produce diester 11, which after hydrolysis and cyclization affords homophthalic anhydride 3. The second is the reaction of anhydride 3 with either ethyl 2-methylmalonate (28a), in the presence of 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole, or ethyl-2-methylmalonyl chloride (28b) under basic conditions to afford key isocoumarin 27.