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Ong HW, de Silva C, Avalani K, Kwarcinski F, Mansfield CR, Chirgwin M, Truong A, Derbyshire ER, Zutshi R, Drewry DH. Characterization of 2,4-Dianilinopyrimidines Against Five P. falciparum Kinases PfARK1, PfARK3, PfNEK3, PfPK9, and PfPKB. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:1774-1784. [PMID: 38116430 PMCID: PMC10726455 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium kinases are increasingly recognized as potential novel antiplasmodial targets for the treatment of malaria, but only a small subset of these kinases have had structure-activity relationship (SAR) campaigns reported. Herein we report the discovery of CZC-54252 (1) as an inhibitor of five P. falciparum kinases PfARK1, PfARK3, PfNEK3, PfPK9, and PfPKB. 39 analogues were evaluated against all five kinases to establish SAR at three regions of the kinase active site. Nanomolar inhibitors of each kinase were discovered. We identified common and divergent SAR trends across all five kinases, highlighting substituents in each region that improve potency and selectivity for each kinase. Potent analogues were evaluated against the P. falciparum blood stage. Eight submicromolar inhibitors were discovered, of which 37 demonstrated potent antiplasmodial activity (EC50 = 0.16 μM). Our results provide an understanding of features needed to inhibit each individual kinase and lay groundwork for future optimization efforts toward novel antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wee Ong
- Structural
Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal
Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Chandi de Silva
- Luceome
Biotechnologies, LLC, 1665 East 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Krisha Avalani
- Luceome
Biotechnologies, LLC, 1665 East 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Frank Kwarcinski
- Luceome
Biotechnologies, LLC, 1665 East 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Christopher R. Mansfield
- Department
of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, 213 Research Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Michael Chirgwin
- Department
of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Anna Truong
- Department
of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Emily R. Derbyshire
- Department
of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, 213 Research Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Reena Zutshi
- Luceome
Biotechnologies, LLC, 1665 East 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - David H. Drewry
- Structural
Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal
Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Lineberger
Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
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Webster L, Farrell SJ, Gilbert IH, Read KD. Bespoke Drug Discovery Training for Low-Middle Income Countries. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:1014-1016. [PMID: 37583828 PMCID: PMC10424300 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Working in drug discovery is difficult for many institutions due to the need for resources, funding, and in-country expertise. The Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infective Research (WCAIR) is responding to the unmet training needs for individuals/institutions working in drug discovery in low-middle income countries. Through their training program, individuals can undertake a practical placement, either online or at the center, with access to a dedicated trainer from their field of research. Practical placements are tailored to the needs of the individual/institute to enable capability building on return to their home institute. In addition to training placements, the center is focused on building partnerships by supporting institutes to work in drug discovery. Here we highlight WCAIR's training program and the partnerships that have developed from this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren
A. Webster
- Drug Discovery Unit, Wellcome Centre
for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, U.K.
| | - Susan J. Farrell
- Drug Discovery Unit, Wellcome Centre
for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, U.K.
| | - Ian H. Gilbert
- Drug Discovery Unit, Wellcome Centre
for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, U.K.
| | - Kevin D. Read
- Drug Discovery Unit, Wellcome Centre
for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, U.K.
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Yedla P, Babalghith AO, Andra VV, Syed R. PROTACs in the Management of Prostate Cancer. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28093698. [PMID: 37175108 PMCID: PMC10179857 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28093698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer treatments with targeted therapy have gained immense interest due to their low levels of toxicity and high selectivity. Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have drawn special attention in the development of cancer therapeutics owing to their unique mechanism of action, their ability to target undruggable proteins, and their focused target engagement. PROTACs selectively degrade the target protein through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, which describes a different mode of action compared to conventional small-molecule inhibitors or even antibodies. Among different cancer types, prostate cancer (PC) is the most prevalent non-cutaneous cancer in men. Genetic alterations and the overexpression of several genes, such as FOXA1, AR, PTEN, RB1, TP53, etc., suppress the immune response, resulting in drug resistance to conventional drugs in prostate cancer. Since the progression of ARV-110 (PROTAC for PC) into clinical phases, the focus of research has quickly shifted to protein degraders targeting prostate cancer. The present review highlights an overview of PROTACs in prostate cancer and their superiority over conventional inhibitors. We also delve into the underlying pathophysiology of the disease and explain the structural design and linkerology strategies for PROTAC molecules. Additionally, we touch on the various targets for PROTAC in prostate cancer, including the androgen receptor (AR) and other critical oncoproteins, and discuss the future prospects and challenges in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poornachandra Yedla
- Department of Pharmacogenomics, Institute of Translational Research, Asian Healthcare Foundation, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology Hospitals, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500082, India
| | - Ahmed O Babalghith
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Vindhya Vasini Andra
- Department of Medical Oncology, Omega Hospitals, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, India
| | - Riyaz Syed
- Department of Chemiinformatics, Centella Scientific, JHUB, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad 500085, India
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Ong HW, Adderley J, Tobin AB, Drewry DH, Doerig C. Parasite and host kinases as targets for antimalarials. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2023; 27:151-169. [PMID: 36942408 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2023.2185511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The deployment of Artemisinin-based combination therapies and transmission control measures led to a decrease in the global malaria burden over the recent decades. Unfortunately, this trend is now reversing, in part due to resistance against available treatments, calling for the development of new drugs against untapped targets to prevent cross-resistance. AREAS COVERED In view of their demonstrated druggability in noninfectious diseases, protein kinases represent attractive targets. Kinase-focussed antimalarial drug discovery is facilitated by the availability of kinase-targeting scaffolds and large libraries of inhibitors, as well as high-throughput phenotypic and biochemical assays. We present an overview of validated Plasmodium kinase targets and their inhibitors, and briefly discuss the potential of host cell kinases as targets for host-directed therapy. EXPERT OPINION We propose priority research areas, including (i) diversification of Plasmodium kinase targets (at present most efforts focus on a very small number of targets); (ii) polypharmacology as an avenue to limit resistance (kinase inhibitors are highly suitable in this respect); and (iii) preemptive limitation of resistance through host-directed therapy (targeting host cell kinases that are required for parasite survival) and transmission-blocking through targeting sexual stage-specific kinases as a strategy to protect curative drugs from the spread of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wee Ong
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Jack Adderley
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Rmit University, Bundoora VIC Australia
| | - Andrew B Tobin
- Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - David H Drewry
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Christian Doerig
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Rmit University, Bundoora VIC Australia
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Toviwek B, Riley J, Mutter N, Anderson M, Webster L, Hallyburton I, Gleeson D, Read KD, Gleeson MP. Preparation, biological evaluation and QSAR analysis of urea substituted 2,4-diamino-pyrimidine anti-malarials. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:1587-1604. [PMID: 36561069 PMCID: PMC9749952 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00218c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The synthesis and evaluation of twenty six new phenylurea substituted 2,4-diamino-pyrimidines against Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) 3D7 are reported. Compounds were prepared to improve both anti-malarial activity and selectivity of the series previously reported by our group. Additional properties have been determined to assess their potential as anti-malarial leads including; HepG2 cytotoxicity, solubility, permeability, and lipophilicity, as well as in vitro stability in human and rat microsomes. We also assess their inhibition profile against a diverse set of 10 human kinases. Molecular docking, cheminformatics and bioinformatics analyses were also undertaken. Compounds 40 demonstrated the best anti-malarial activity at Pf 3D7 (0.09 μM), good selectivity with respect to mammalian cytotoxicity (SI = 54) and low microsomal clearance. Quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) analyses point to lipophilicity being a key driver of improved anti-malarial activity. The most active compounds in the series suffered from high lipophilicity, poor aqueous solubility and low permeability. The results provide useful information to guide further chemistry iterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Borvornwat Toviwek
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang Bangkok 10520 Thailand
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University Bangkok 0900 Thailand
| | - Jennifer Riley
- Drug Discovery Unit, Divison of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee Dundee DD1 5EH UK
| | - Nicole Mutter
- Drug Discovery Unit, Divison of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee Dundee DD1 5EH UK
| | - Mark Anderson
- Drug Discovery Unit, Divison of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee Dundee DD1 5EH UK
| | - Lauren Webster
- Drug Discovery Unit, Divison of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee Dundee DD1 5EH UK
| | - Irene Hallyburton
- Drug Discovery Unit, Divison of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee Dundee DD1 5EH UK
| | - Duangkamol Gleeson
- Applied Computational Chemistry Research Unit & Department of Chemistry, School of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang Bangkok 10520 Thailand
| | - Kevin D Read
- Drug Discovery Unit, Divison of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee Dundee DD1 5EH UK
| | - M Paul Gleeson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang Bangkok 10520 Thailand
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