1
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Mesaros EF, Dugan BJ, Gao M, Sheraz M, McGovern-Gooch K, Xu F, Fan KY, Nguyen D, Kultgen SG, Lindstrom A, Stever K, Tercero B, Binder RJ, Liu F, Micolochick Steuer HM, Mani N, Harasym TO, Thi EP, Cuconati A, Dorsey BD, Cole AG, Lam AM, Sofia MJ. Discovery of C-Linked Nucleoside Analogues with Antiviral Activity against SARS-CoV-2. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1780-1792. [PMID: 38651692 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The recent COVID-19 pandemic underscored the limitations of currently available direct-acting antiviral treatments against acute respiratory RNA-viral infections and stimulated major research initiatives targeting anticoronavirus agents. Two novel nsp5 protease (MPro) inhibitors have been approved, nirmatrelvir and ensitrelvir, along with two existing nucleos(t)ide analogues repurposed as nsp12 polymerase inhibitors, remdesivir and molnupiravir, but a need still exists for therapies with improved potency and systemic exposure with oral dosing, better metabolic stability, and reduced resistance and toxicity risks. Herein, we summarize our research toward identifying nsp12 inhibitors that led to nucleoside analogues 10e and 10n, which showed favorable pan-coronavirus activity in cell-infection screens, were metabolized to active triphosphate nucleotides in cell-incubation studies, and demonstrated target (nsp12) engagement in biochemical assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugen F Mesaros
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Benjamin J Dugan
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Min Gao
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Muhammad Sheraz
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | | | - Fran Xu
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Kristi Yi Fan
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Duyan Nguyen
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Steven G Kultgen
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Aaron Lindstrom
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Kim Stever
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Breanna Tercero
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Randall J Binder
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Fei Liu
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | | | - Nagraj Mani
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Troy O Harasym
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Emily P Thi
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Andrea Cuconati
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Bruce D Dorsey
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Andrew G Cole
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Angela M Lam
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Michael J Sofia
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
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2
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Gotchev D, Dorsey BD, Nguyen D, Kakarla R, Dugan B, Chen S, Gao M, Bailey L, Liu F, Harasym T, Chiu T, Tang S, Lee ACH, Cole AG, Sofia MJ. Structure-Activity Relationships and Discovery of ( S)-6-Isopropyl-2-methoxy-3-(3-methoxypropoxy)-10-oxo-5,10-dihydro-6 H-pyrido[1,2- h][1,7]naphthyridine-9-carboxylic Acid (AB-452), a Novel Orally Available HBV RNA Destabilizer. J Med Chem 2024; 67:1421-1446. [PMID: 38190324 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Approved therapies for hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatment include nucleos(t)ides and interferon alpha (IFN-α) which effectively suppress viral replication, but they rarely lead to cure. Expression of viral proteins, especially surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) from covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and the integrated genome, is believed to contribute to the persistence of HBV. This work focuses on therapies that target the expression of HBV proteins, in particular HBsAg, which differs from current treatments. Here we describe the identification of AB-452, a dihydroquinolizinone (DHQ) analogue. AB-452 is a potent HBV RNA destabilizer by inhibiting PAPD5/7 proteins in vitro with good in vivo efficacy in a chronic HBV mouse model. AB-452 showed acceptable tolerability in 28-day rat and dog toxicity studies, and a high degree of oral exposure in multiple species. Based on its in vitro and in vivo profiles, AB-452 was identified as a clinical development candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitar Gotchev
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Bruce D Dorsey
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Duyan Nguyen
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Ramesh Kakarla
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Benjamin Dugan
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Shuai Chen
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Min Gao
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Laurèn Bailey
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Fei Liu
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Troy Harasym
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Tim Chiu
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Sunny Tang
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Amy C-H Lee
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Andrew G Cole
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Michael J Sofia
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
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3
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Cole AG, Kultgen SG, Mani N, Quintero JG, Yi Fan K, Ardzinski A, Stever K, Dorsey BD, Phelps JR, Lee ACH, Thi EP, Chiu T, Tang S, Horanyi PS, Mayclin SJ, Harasym TO, Sofia MJ. Design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationship of a bicyclic HBV capsid assembly modulator chemotype leading to the identification of clinical candidate AB-506. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2023; 94:129456. [PMID: 37633618 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2023.129456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Disruption of the HBV capsid assembly process through small-molecule interaction with HBV core protein is a validated target for the suppression of hepatitis B viral replication and the development of new antivirals. Through combination of key structural features associated with two distinct series of capsid assembly modulators, a novel aminochroman-based chemotype was identified. Optimization of anti-HBV potency through generation of SAR in addition to further core modifications provided a series of related functionalized aminoindanes. Key compounds demonstrated excellent cellular potency in addition to favorable ADME and pharmacokinetic profiles and were shown to be highly efficacious in a mouse model of HBV replication. Aminoindane derivative AB-506 was subsequently advanced into clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Cole
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA.
| | - Steven G Kultgen
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Nagraj Mani
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Jorge G Quintero
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Kristi Yi Fan
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Andrzej Ardzinski
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Kim Stever
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Bruce D Dorsey
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Janet R Phelps
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Amy C H Lee
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Emily P Thi
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Tim Chiu
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Sunny Tang
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Peter S Horanyi
- UCB Pharma, 87 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA
| | | | - Troy O Harasym
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
| | - Michael J Sofia
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, USA
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4
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Yuen M, Berliba E, Sukeepaisarnjaroen W, Ahn SH, Tanwandee T, Lim Y, Kim YJ, Poovorawan K, Tangkijvanich P, Schwabe C, Eley T, Brown J, Lee ACH, Thi EP, Paratala B, Mani N, Sofia MJ, Picchio G, Sims KD, Gane EJ. Safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of the capsid inhibitor AB-506 from Phase 1 studies in healthy subjects and those with hepatitis B. Hepatol Commun 2022; 6:3457-3472. [PMID: 36194181 PMCID: PMC9701477 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.2095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
AB-506 is a potent, pan-genotypic small molecule capsid inhibitor that inhibits hepatitis B virus (HBV) pregenomic RNA encapsidation. We assessed the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of AB-506 in two randomized, double-blinded Phase 1 studies in healthy subjects (HS) and subjects with chronic HBV infection (CHB). Single ascending and multiple doses of AB-506 or placebo (30-1000 mg or 400 mg daily for 10 days) were assessed in HS. AB-506 or placebo was assessed at either 160 mg or 400 mg daily for 28 days in subjects with CHB. A second follow-up study examined AB-506 or placebo at 400 mg daily for 28 days in 14 Caucasian and 14 East-Asian HS. Twenty-eight days of AB-506 at 160 mg and 400 mg produced mean HBV-DNA declines from baseline of 2.1 log10 IU/ml and 2.8 log10 IU/ml, respectively. Four subjects with CHB (all Asian) had Grade 4 alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations (2 at each dose) as HBV DNA was declining; three events led to treatment discontinuation. In the second follow-up study, 2 Asian HS had serious transaminitis events leading to treatment and study termination. No subjects had bilirubin elevations or signs of hepatic decompensation. Conclusion: AB-506 demonstrated mean HBV-DNA declines of >2 log10 ; however, transient but severe ALT flares were observed in 4 Asian subjects with CHB. In the follow-up study in HS, 2 additional Asian HS had Grade 4 flares, suggesting that AB-506 hepatotoxicity contributed to the ALT elevations. The AB-506 development program was terminated because of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man‐Fung Yuen
- Department of MedicineUniversity of Hong Kong, Queen Mary HospitalHong KongChina
| | | | | | - Sang Hoon Ahn
- Department of MedicineYonsei University College of Medicine, Severance HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Tawesak Tanwandee
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of MedicineSiriraj Hospital, Mahidol UniversityBangkokThailand
| | - Young‐Suk Lim
- Department of GastroenterologyAsan Medical CenterSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Yoon Jun Kim
- Department of Internal MedicineSeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Kittiyod Poovorawan
- Faculty of Tropical MedicineHospital for Tropical Diseases, Mahidol UniversityBangkokThailand
| | - Pisit Tangkijvanich
- Center of Excellence in Hepatitis and Liver CancerChulalongkorn UniversityBangkokThailand
| | | | - Timothy Eley
- Clinical DevelopmentArbutus BiopharmaWarminsterPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Joanne Brown
- Clinical DevelopmentArbutus BiopharmaWarminsterPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Emily P. Thi
- DiscoveryArbutus BiopharmaWarminsterPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Nagraj Mani
- DiscoveryArbutus BiopharmaWarminsterPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Gaston Picchio
- Clinical DevelopmentArbutus BiopharmaWarminsterPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Karen D. Sims
- Clinical DevelopmentArbutus BiopharmaWarminsterPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Edward J. Gane
- Department of MedicineUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
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5
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Sofia MJ, Li X. Introduction to the antibiotic and antiviral compounds themed collection. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:1007. [PMID: 36324494 PMCID: PMC9491358 DOI: 10.1039/d2md90029g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Guest editors Michael J. Sofia and Xuechen Li introduce the themed collection on antibiotic and antiviral compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xuechen Li
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR P. R. China
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6
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Thi EP, Cole AG, Heffernan G, Iott CL, Ozturk S, Ganchua SC, Nguyen D, Graves I, Quintero JG, Stever K, Fan K, Ahuja V, Kultgen SG, Shubina M, Liu B, Tang S, Harasym T, Lam AM, Sofia MJ. Preclinical anti-tumor activity of small-molecule oral PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors. J Clin Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2022.40.16_suppl.e14558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
e14558 Background: The PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint axis is a validated target in oncology, and immunotherapy with antibody approaches have proven efficacy across various tumor types. Oral small-molecule inhibitors of PD-L1 may offer advantages over antibody approaches by enabling tunable on-target engagement and the potential for better tissue penetration and improved efficacy. Here we report the preclinical in vitro activity of small-molecule inhibitors of PD-L1 possessing a novel mechanism of action, favorable pharmacokinetics, and demonstrated in vivo efficacy in a mouse colon adenocarcinoma model. Methods: In vitro activity was assessed in a Jurkat T cell NFAT reporter assay and PD-L1 reduction was confirmed in CHO-K1 cells expressing human PD-L1 (CHO-K1-hPD-L1) and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors. T cell activation assays were conducted with PBMCs from healthy donors. Non-specific cytokine release was evaluated in human whole blood. Pharmacokinetic (PK) evaluations were conducted in rodents and non-human primates (NHP). In vivo efficacy was evaluated in an MC38 tumor humanized PD-L1 and PD-1 mouse model. Results: Small-molecule inhibitors of PD-L1 were able to disrupt PD-1:PD-L1 and PD-L1:CD80 interactions through the reduction of PD-L1 expression on the cell surface via a novel internalization mechanism, resulting in PD-L1 degradation (EC50s ranged from 1.9 – 24 nM in CHO-K1-hPD-L1 and primary human myeloid cells). Lead PD-L1 inhibitors mediated potent activation of T cells in a NFAT reporter assay (EC50s of 13 and 18 nM) as well as dose responsive elevations in IL-2 production in human PBMCs stimulated with staphylococcal enterotoxin B. Compound treatment did not elicit non-specific cytokine release in human whole blood, supportive of favorable immune safety. PK profiles showed low systemic clearance in rodents and NHP. In an MC38 tumor model, once daily oral administration of compounds at 3, 10, and 30 mg/kg resulted in dose responsive tumor reduction that was associated with T cell activation and infiltration into tumors. Conclusions: Oral small-molecule PD-L1 inhibitors possessing a novel mechanism of action and the ability to mediate T cell activation in primary human immune cell types were identified. These compounds display in vivo anti-tumor efficacy comparable to anti-PD-L1 antibody and possess favorable preclinical profiles for further development, with the potential for all-oral treatment regimens for oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Boya Liu
- Arbutus Biopharma, Warminster, PA
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7
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Cole AG, Kultgen SG, Mani N, Ardzinski A, Fan KY, Thi EP, Dorsey BD, Stever K, Chiu T, Tang S, Daly O, Phelps JR, Harasym T, Olland A, Suto RK, Sofia MJ. The identification of highly efficacious functionalised tetrahydrocyclopenta[ c]pyrroles as inhibitors of HBV viral replication through modulation of HBV capsid assembly. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:343-349. [PMID: 35434625 PMCID: PMC8942244 DOI: 10.1039/d1md00318f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Disruption of the HBV viral life cycle with small molecules that prevent the encapsidation of pregenomic RNA and viral polymerase through binding to HBV core protein is a clinically validated approach to inhibiting HBV viral replication. Herein we report the further optimisation of clinical candidate AB-506 through core modification with a focus on increasing oral exposure and oral half-life. Maintenance of high levels of anti-HBV cellular potency in conjunction with improvements in pharmacokinetic properties led to multi-log10 reductions in serum HBV DNA following low, once-daily oral dosing for key analogues in a preclinical animal model of HBV replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G. Cole
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | | | - Nagraj Mani
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | | | - Kristi Yi Fan
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Emily P. Thi
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Bruce D. Dorsey
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Kim Stever
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Tim Chiu
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Sunny Tang
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Owen Daly
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Janet R. Phelps
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Troy Harasym
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.701 Veterans CircleWarminsterPA 18974USA
| | - Andrea Olland
- Xtal BioStructures Inc.12 Michigan DriveNatickMA 01760USA
| | - Robert K. Suto
- Xtal BioStructures Inc.12 Michigan DriveNatickMA 01760USA
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8
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Mani N, Cole AG, Phelps JR, Ardzinski A, Burns R, Chiu T, Cuconati A, Dorsey BD, Evangelista E, Fan K, Guo F, Harasym TO, Kadhim S, Kowalski R, Kultgen SG, Lee ACH, Li AH, Majeski SA, Miller A, Pasetka C, Reid SP, Rijnbrand R, Micolochick Steuer HM, Stever K, Tang S, Teng X, Wang X, Sofia MJ. Preclinical characterization of AB-506, an inhibitor of HBV replication targeting the viral core protein. Antiviral Res 2021; 197:105211. [PMID: 34826506 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2021.105211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
AB-506, a small-molecule inhibitor targeting the HBV core protein, inhibits viral replication in vitro (HepAD38 cells: EC50 of 0.077 μM, CC50 > 25 μM) and in vivo (HBV mouse model: ∼3.0 log10 reductions in serum HBV DNA compared to the vehicle control). Binding of AB-506 to HBV core protein accelerates capsid assembly and inhibits HBV pgRNA encapsidation. Furthermore, AB-506 blocks cccDNA establishment in HBV-infected HepG2-hNTCP-C4 cells and primary human hepatocytes, leading to inhibition of viral RNA, HBsAg, and HBeAg production (EC50 from 0.64 μM to 1.92 μM). AB-506 demonstrated activity across HBV genotypes A-H and maintains antiviral activity against nucleos(t)ide analog-resistant variants in vitro. Evaluation of AB-506 against a panel of core variants showed that T33N/Q substitutions results in >200-fold increase in EC50 values, while L30F, L37Q, and I105T substitutions showed an 8 to 20-fold increase in EC50 values in comparison to the wild-type. In vitro combinations of AB-506 with NAs or an RNAi agent were additive to moderately synergistic. AB-506 exhibits good oral bioavailability, systemic exposure, and higher liver to plasma ratios in rodents, a pharmacokinetic profile supporting clinical development for chronic hepatitis B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nagraj Mani
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA.
| | - Andrew G Cole
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Janet R Phelps
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Andrzej Ardzinski
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Robbin Burns
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Tim Chiu
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Andrea Cuconati
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Bruce D Dorsey
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Ellen Evangelista
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Kristi Fan
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Fang Guo
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Troy O Harasym
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Salam Kadhim
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Roseann Kowalski
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Steven G Kultgen
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Amy C H Lee
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Alice H Li
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Sara A Majeski
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Angela Miller
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Chris Pasetka
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Stephen P Reid
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Rene Rijnbrand
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | | | - Kim Stever
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Sunny Tang
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Xiaowei Teng
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Xiaohe Wang
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
| | - Michael J Sofia
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc., 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA
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9
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Hall MD, Anderson JM, Anderson A, Baker D, Bradner J, Brimacombe KR, Campbell EA, Corbett KS, Carter K, Cherry S, Chiang L, Cihlar T, de Wit E, Denison M, Disney M, Fletcher CV, Ford-Scheimer SL, Götte M, Grossman AC, Hayden FG, Hazuda DJ, Lanteri CA, Marston H, Mesecar AD, Moore S, Nwankwo JO, O’Rear J, Painter G, Singh Saikatendu K, Schiffer CA, Sheahan TP, Shi PY, Smyth HD, Sofia MJ, Weetall M, Weller SK, Whitley R, Fauci AS, Austin CP, Collins FS, Conley AJ, Davis MI. Report of the National Institutes of Health SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Therapeutics Summit. J Infect Dis 2021; 224:S1-S21. [PMID: 34111271 PMCID: PMC8280938 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The NIH Virtual SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Summit, held on 6 November 2020, was organized to provide an overview on the status and challenges in developing antiviral therapeutics for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including combinations of antivirals. Scientific experts from the public and private sectors convened virtually during a live videocast to discuss severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) targets for drug discovery as well as the preclinical tools needed to develop and evaluate effective small-molecule antivirals. The goals of the Summit were to review the current state of the science, identify unmet research needs, share insights and lessons learned from treating other infectious diseases, identify opportunities for public-private partnerships, and assist the research community in designing and developing antiviral therapeutics. This report includes an overview of therapeutic approaches, individual panel summaries, and a summary of the discussions and perspectives on the challenges ahead for antiviral development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Hall
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - James M Anderson
- Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Annaliesa Anderson
- Pfizer Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Pearl River, New York, USA
| | - David Baker
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Jay Bradner
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kyle R Brimacombe
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Kizzmekia S Corbett
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Sara Cherry
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - Emmie de Wit
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Mark Denison
- Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | | | - Stephanie L Ford-Scheimer
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Abigail C Grossman
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | - Hilary Marston
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Stephanie Moore
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | | | - Jules O’Rear
- US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | - Celia A Schiffer
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Timothy P Sheahan
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Pei-Yong Shi
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Hugh D Smyth
- University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | - Marla Weetall
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc, South Plainfield, New Jersey, USA
| | - Sandra K Weller
- University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Richard Whitley
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Anthony S Fauci
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Christopher P Austin
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Francis S Collins
- Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anthony J Conley
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Mindy I Davis
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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10
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Park JJ, Thi EP, Carpio VH, Bi Y, Cole AG, Dorsey BD, Fan K, Harasym T, Iott CL, Kadhim S, Kim JH, Lee ACH, Nguyen D, Paratala BS, Qiu R, White A, Lakshminarasimhan D, Leo C, Suto RK, Rijnbrand R, Tang S, Sofia MJ, Moore CB. Checkpoint inhibition through small molecule-induced internalization of programmed death-ligand 1. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1222. [PMID: 33619272 PMCID: PMC7900207 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21410-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed death-ligand 1 is a glycoprotein expressed on antigen presenting cells, hepatocytes, and tumors which upon interaction with programmed death-1, results in inhibition of antigen-specific T cell responses. Here, we report a mechanism of inhibiting programmed death-ligand 1 through small molecule-induced dimerization and internalization. This represents a mechanism of checkpoint inhibition, which differentiates from anti-programmed death-ligand 1 antibodies which function through molecular disruption of the programmed death 1 interaction. Testing of programmed death ligand 1 small molecule inhibition in a humanized mouse model of colorectal cancer results in a significant reduction in tumor size and promotes T cell proliferation. In addition, antigen-specific T and B cell responses from patients with chronic hepatitis B infection are significantly elevated upon programmed death ligand 1 small molecule inhibitor treatment. Taken together, these data identify a mechanism of small molecule-induced programmed death ligand 1 internalization with potential therapeutic implications in oncology and chronic viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Yingzhi Bi
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc, Warminster, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Kristi Fan
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc, Warminster, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sunny Tang
- Arbutus Biopharma Inc, Warminster, PA, USA
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11
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Block TM, Young JAT, Javanbakht H, Sofia MJ, Zhou T. Host RNA quality control as a hepatitis B antiviral target. Antiviral Res 2020; 186:104972. [PMID: 33242518 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Inhibition of the host RNA polyadenylating polymerases, PAPD5 and PAPD7 (PAPD5/7), with dihydroquinolizinone, a small orally available, molecule, results in a rapid and selective degradation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA, and hence reduction in the amounts of viral gene products. DHQ, is a first in class investigational agent and could represent an entirely new category of HBV antivirals. PAPD5 and PAPD7 are non-canonical, cell specified, polyadenylating polymerases, also called terminal nucleotidyl transferases 4B and 4A (TENT4B/A), respectively. They are involved in the degradation of poor-quality cell transcripts, mostly non-coding RNAs and in the maturation of a sub-set of transcripts. They also appear to play a role in shielding some mRNA from degradation. The results of studies with DHQ, along with other recent findings, provide evidence that repression of the PAPD5/7 arm of the cell "RNA quality control" pathway, causes a profound (multi-fold) reduction rather than increase, in the amount of HBV pre-genomic, pre-core and HBsAg mRNA levels in tissue culture and animal models, as well. In this review we will briefly discuss the need for new HBV therapeutics and provide background about HBV transcription. We also discuss cellular degradation of host transcripts, as it relates to a new family of anti-HBV drugs that interfere with these processes. Finally, since HBV mRNA maturation appears to be selectively sensitive to PAPD5/7 inhibition in hepatocytes, we discuss the possibility of targeting host RNA "quality control" as an antiviral strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John A T Young
- Roche Pharma Research & Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Hassan Javanbakht
- SQZ Biotechnologies, 200 Arsenal Yards Blvd, Suite 210, Watertown, MA, 02472, USA.
| | - Michael J Sofia
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA, 18974, USA.
| | - Tianlun Zhou
- Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Doylestown, PA, 18902, USA.
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12
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13
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Ye X, Tateno C, Thi EP, Kakuni M, Snead NM, Ishida Y, Barnard TR, Sofia MJ, Shimada T, Lee ACH. Hepatitis B Virus Therapeutic Agent ARB-1740 Has Inhibitory Effect on Hepatitis Delta Virus in a New Dually-Infected Humanized Mouse Model. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:738-749. [PMID: 30408957 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.8b00192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infects 10-20 million individuals worldwide and causes severe fulminant hepatitis with high likelihood of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HDV infection cannot occur in the absence of the surface antigen (HBsAg) of the hepatitis B virus. RNA interference is an effective mechanism by which to inhibit viral transcripts, and siRNA therapeutics sharing this mechanism have begun to demonstrate clinical efficacy. Here we assessed the outcome of HBV-targeting siRNA intervention against HDV and compared it to a direct anti-HDV siRNA approach in dually infected humanized mice. Treatment with ARB-1740, a clinical stage HBV-targeting siRNA agent delivered using lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology, effectively reduced HBV viremia by 2.3 log10 and serum HBsAg by 2.6 log10, leading to 1.6 log10 reduction of HDV viremia. In contrast, HDV-targeting siRNA inhibited HDV in both blood and liver compartments without affecting HBV and PEGylated interferon-alpha reduced HBV viremia by 2.0 log10 but had no effect on HDV viremia under these study conditions. These results illustrate the inhibitory effects of siRNAs against these two viral infections and suggest that ARB-1740 may be of therapeutic benefit for hepatitis delta patients, a subpopulation with high unmet medical need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Ye
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Chise Tateno
- PhoenixBio Co., Ltd., 3-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Emily P. Thi
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Masakazu Kakuni
- PhoenixBio Co., Ltd., 3-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Nicholas M. Snead
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Yuji Ishida
- PhoenixBio Co., Ltd., 3-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Trisha R. Barnard
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Michael J. Sofia
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
| | - Takashi Shimada
- PhoenixBio Co., Ltd., 3-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Amy C. H. Lee
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974, United States
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14
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Thi EP, Dhillon AP, Ardzinski A, Bidirici-Ertekin L, Cobarrubias KD, Cuconati A, Kondratowicz AS, Kwak K, Li AHL, Miller A, Pasetka C, Pei L, Phelps JR, Snead NM, Wang X, Ye X, Sofia MJ, Lee ACH. ARB-1740, a RNA Interference Therapeutic for Chronic Hepatitis B Infection. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:725-737. [PMID: 30403127 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.8b00191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Current approved nucleoside analogue treatments for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are effective at controlling viral titer but are not curative and have minimal impact on the production of viral proteins such as surface antigen (HBsAg), the HBV envelope protein believed to play a role in maintaining the immune tolerant state required for viral persistence. Novel agents are needed to effect HBV cure, and reduction of HBV antigenemia may potentiate activation of effective and long-lasting host immune control. ARB-1740 is a clinical stage RNA interference agent composed of three siRNAs delivered using lipid nanoparticle technology. In a number of cell and animal models of HBV, ARB-1740 caused HBV RNA reduction, leading to inhibition of multiple elements of the viral life cycle including HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBcAg viral proteins as well as replication marker HBV DNA. ARB-1740 demonstrated pan-genotypic activity in vitro and in vivo, targeting three distinct highly conserved regions of the HBV genome, and effectively inhibited replication of nucleoside analogue-resistant HBV variants. Combination of ARB-1740 with a capsid inhibitor and pegylated interferon-alpha led to greater liver HBsAg reduction which correlated with more robust induction of innate immune responses in a human chimeric mouse model of HBV. The preclinical profile of ARB-1740 demonstrates the promise of RNA interference and HBV antigen reduction in treatment strategies driving toward a cure for HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily P. Thi
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Ammen P. Dhillon
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Andrzej Ardzinski
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Lale Bidirici-Ertekin
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Kyle D. Cobarrubias
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Andrea Cuconati
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | | | - Kaylyn Kwak
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Alice H. L. Li
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Angela Miller
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Chris Pasetka
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Luying Pei
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Janet R. Phelps
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Nicholas M. Snead
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Xiaohe Wang
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Xin Ye
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Michael J. Sofia
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
| | - Amy C. H. Lee
- Arbutus Biopharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 United States
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15
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Edwards TC, Mani N, Dorsey B, Kakarla R, Rijnbrand R, Sofia MJ, Tavis JE. Inhibition of HBV replication by N-hydroxyisoquinolinedione and N-hydroxypyridinedione ribonuclease H inhibitors. Antiviral Res 2019; 164:70-80. [PMID: 30768944 PMCID: PMC10587990 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2019.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We recently developed a screening system capable of identifying and evaluating inhibitors of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) ribonuclease H (RNaseH), which is the only HBV enzyme not targeted by current anti-HBV therapies. Inhibiting the HBV RNaseH blocks synthesis of the positive-polarity DNA strand, causing early termination of negative-polarity DNA synthesis and accumulation of RNA:DNA heteroduplexes. We previously reported inhibition of HBV replication by N-hydroxyisoquinolinediones (HID) and N-hydroxypyridinediones (HPD) in human hepatoma cells. Here, we report results from our ongoing efforts to develop more potent anti-HBV RNaseH inhibitors in the HID/HPD compound classes. We synthesized and screened additional HIDs and HPDs for preferential suppression of positive-polarity DNA in cells replicating HBV. Three of seven new HIDs inhibited HBV replication, however, the therapeutic indexes (TI = CC50/EC50) did not improve over what we previously reported. All nine of the HPDs inhibited HBV replication with EC50s ranging from 110 nM to 4 μM. Cellular cytotoxicity was evaluated by four assays and CC50s ranged from 15 to >100 μM. The best compounds have a calculated TI of >300, which is a 16-fold improvement over the primary HPD hit. These studies indicate that the HPD compound class holds potential for antiviral discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany C Edwards
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Saint Louis University Liver Center, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Nagraj Mani
- Arbutus Biopharma Incorporated, Warminster, PA, USA.
| | - Bruce Dorsey
- Arbutus Biopharma Incorporated, Warminster, PA, USA.
| | | | | | | | - John E Tavis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Saint Louis University Liver Center, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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16
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Sofia MJ. The Discovery and Early Clinical Evaluation of the HCV NS3/4A Protease Inhibitor Asunaprevir (BMS-650032). Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 2019. [PMCID: PMC7123690 DOI: 10.1007/7355_2018_58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of asunaprevir (1) began with the concept of engaging the small and well-defined S1’ pocket of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease that was explored in the context of tripeptide carboxylic acid-based inhibitors. A cyclopropyl-acyl sulfonamide moiety was found to be the optimal element at the P1-P1’ interface enhancing the potency of carboxylic acid-based prototypes by 10- to >100-fold, dependent upon the specific background. Optimization for oral bioavailability identified a 1-substituted isoquinoline-based P2* element that conferred a significant exposure advantage in rats compared to the matched 4-substituted quinoline isomer. BMS-605339 (30) was the first cyclopropyl-acyl sulfonamide derivative advanced into clinical trials that demonstrated dose-related reductions in plasma viral RNA in HCV-infected patients. However, 30 was associated with cardiac events observed in a normal healthy volunteer (NHV) and an HCV-infected patient that led to the suspension of the development program. Using a Langendorff rabbit heart model, a limited structure-cardiac liability relationship was quickly established that led to the discovery of 1. This compound, which differs from 30 only by changes in the substitution pattern of the P2* isoquinoline heterocycle and the addition of a single chlorine atom to the molecular formula, gave a dose-dependent reduction in plasma viral RNA following oral administration to HCV-infected patients without the burden of the cardiac events that had been observed with 30. A small clinical trial of the combination of 1 with the HCV NS5A inhibitor daclatasvir (2) established for the first time that a chronic genotype 1 (GT-1) HCV infection could be cured by therapy with two direct-acting antiviral agents in the absence of exogenous immune-stimulating agents. Development of the combination of 1 and 2 was initially focused on Japan where the patient population is predominantly infected with GT-1b virus, culminating in marketing approval which was granted on July 4, 2014. In order to broaden therapy to include GT-1a infections, a fixed dose triple combination of 1, 2, and the allosteric NS5B inhibitor beclabuvir (3) was developed, approved by the Japanese health authorities for the treatment of HCV GT-1 infection on December 20, 2016 and marketed as Ximency®.
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17
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Zhou T, Block T, Liu F, Kondratowicz AS, Sun L, Rawat S, Branson J, Guo F, Steuer HM, Liang H, Bailey L, Moore C, Wang X, Cuconatti A, Gao M, Lee ACH, Harasym T, Chiu T, Gotchev D, Dorsey B, Rijnbrand R, Sofia MJ. HBsAg mRNA degradation induced by a dihydroquinolizinone compound depends on the HBV posttranscriptional regulatory element. Antiviral Res 2017; 149:191-201. [PMID: 29133129 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2017] [Revised: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In pursuit of novel therapeutics targeting the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, we evaluated a dihydroquinolizinone compound (DHQ-1) that in the nanomolar range reduced the production of virion and surface protein (HBsAg) in tissue culture. This compound also showed broad HBV genotype coverage, but was inactive against a panel of DNA and RNA viruses of other species. Oral administration of DHQ-1 in the AAV-HBV mouse model resulted in a significant reduction of serum HBsAg as soon as 4 days following the commencement of treatment. Reduction of HBV markers in both in vitro and in vivo experiments was related to the reduced amount of viral RNA including pre-genomic RNA (pgRNA) and 2.4/2.1 kb HBsAg mRNA. Nuclear run-on and subcellular fractionation experiments indicated that DHQ-1 mediated HBV RNA reduction was the result of accelerated viral RNA degradation in the nucleus, rather than the consequence of inhibition of transcription initiation. Through mutagenesis of HBsAg gene sequences, we found induction of HBsAg mRNA decay by DHQ-1 required the presence of the HBV posttranscriptional regulatory element (HPRE), with a 109 nucleotides sequence within the central region of the HPRE alpha sub-element being the most critical. Taken together, the current study shows that a small molecule can reduce the overall levels of HBV RNA, especially the HBsAg mRNA, and viral surface proteins. This may shed light on the development of a new class of HBV therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianlun Zhou
- Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Department of Translational Medicine, Doylestown, PA 18902, United States.
| | - Timothy Block
- Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Department of Translational Medicine, Doylestown, PA 18902, United States
| | - Fei Liu
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Andrew S Kondratowicz
- Arbutus BioPharma, 100 - 8900 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, British Columbia V5J 5J8, Canada
| | - Liren Sun
- Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Department of Translational Medicine, Doylestown, PA 18902, United States
| | - Siddhartha Rawat
- Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Department of Translational Medicine, Doylestown, PA 18902, United States
| | - Jeffrey Branson
- Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Department of Translational Medicine, Doylestown, PA 18902, United States
| | - Fang Guo
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | | | - Hongyan Liang
- Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Department of Translational Medicine, Doylestown, PA 18902, United States
| | - Lauren Bailey
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Chris Moore
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Xiaohe Wang
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Andy Cuconatti
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Min Gao
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Amy C H Lee
- Arbutus BioPharma, 100 - 8900 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, British Columbia V5J 5J8, Canada
| | - Troy Harasym
- Arbutus BioPharma, 100 - 8900 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, British Columbia V5J 5J8, Canada
| | - Tim Chiu
- Arbutus BioPharma, 100 - 8900 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, British Columbia V5J 5J8, Canada
| | - Dimitar Gotchev
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Bruce Dorsey
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Rene Rijnbrand
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States
| | - Michael J Sofia
- Arbutus BioPharma, 701 Veterans Circle, Warminster, PA 18974, United States.
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18
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Sofia MJ, Chang W, Furman PA, Mosley RT, Ross BS. Correction to Nucleoside, Nucleotide, and Non-Nucleoside Inhibitors of Hepatitis C Virus NS5B RNA-Dependent RNA-Polymerase. J Med Chem 2017; 60:3219. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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19
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Charles M Rice
- Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease and Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, Rockefeller University, New York, New York
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21
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Furman P, Sofia MJ. Editorial overview: Anti-infectives. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2016; 30:iv-vi. [PMID: 27569595 PMCID: PMC7128453 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2016.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael J Sofia
- Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., 3805 Old Easton Rd, Doylestown, PA 18902-1901, USA.
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22
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Appleby TC, Perry JK, Murakami E, Barauskas O, Feng J, Cho A, Fox D, Wetmore DR, McGrath ME, Ray AS, Sofia MJ, Swaminathan S, Edwards TE. Viral replication. Structural basis for RNA replication by the hepatitis C virus polymerase. Science 2015; 347:771-5. [PMID: 25678663 DOI: 10.1126/science.1259210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 246] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Nucleotide analog inhibitors have shown clinical success in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, despite an incomplete mechanistic understanding of NS5B, the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Here we study the details of HCV RNA replication by determining crystal structures of stalled polymerase ternary complexes with enzymes, RNA templates, RNA primers, incoming nucleotides, and catalytic metal ions during both primed initiation and elongation of RNA synthesis. Our analysis revealed that highly conserved active-site residues in NS5B position the primer for in-line attack on the incoming nucleotide. A β loop and a C-terminal membrane-anchoring linker occlude the active-site cavity in the apo state, retract in the primed initiation assembly to enforce replication of the HCV genome from the 3' terminus, and vacate the active-site cavity during elongation. We investigated the incorporation of nucleotide analog inhibitors, including the clinically active metabolite formed by sofosbuvir, to elucidate key molecular interactions in the active site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd C Appleby
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA.
| | - Jason K Perry
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - Eisuke Murakami
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - Ona Barauskas
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - Joy Feng
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - Aesop Cho
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - David Fox
- Beryllium, 7869 NE Day Road West, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, USA
| | - Diana R Wetmore
- Beryllium, 7869 NE Day Road West, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, USA
| | - Mary E McGrath
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - Adrian S Ray
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - Michael J Sofia
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - S Swaminathan
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - Thomas E Edwards
- Beryllium, 7869 NE Day Road West, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, USA.
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Sofia MJ. Beyond sofosbuvir: what opportunity exists for a better nucleoside/nucleotide to treat hepatitis C? Antiviral Res 2014; 107:119-24. [PMID: 24792751 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2014.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2014] [Revised: 04/13/2014] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Sofosbuvir is a liver-targeting uridine nucleotide prodrug inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase recently approved by the FDA and EU regulators for treatment of patients infected with genotype 1, 2, 3 and 4 virus. The request for regulatory approval of the fixed-dose combination containing sofosbuvir and the NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir is also under review. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that sofosbuvir is effective, safe and well tolerated. Review of sofosbuvir's preclinical and clinical profile reveals a drug that has the potential to become the backbone of standard of care. Pursuit of a next generation nucleos(t)ide HCV inhibitor that could compete with sofosbuvir would need to address whatever limitations sofosbuvir exhibits. These include reduced efficacy in genotype 3 patients and use in severe renally impaired patients or those patients currently on drugs that are inducers of P-glycoprotein. However, it has been shown that reduced efficacy in genotype 3 is largely eliminated when sofosbuvir is combined with another oral DAA. Next-generation inhibitors would also benefit by enabling a reduced duration of therapy and an orthogonal resistance profile. The more recent group of nucleos(t)ides in clinical development maintains similarities to sofosbuvir, in that they are uridine nucleotide prodrugs. The question therefore remains whether these new agents will be sufficiently differentiated from sofosbuvir to provide any additional benefit to patients. This paper forms part of a symposium in Antiviral Research on "Hepatitis C: next steps toward global eradication."
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sofia
- OnCore Biopharma, Inc., 3805 Old Easton Rd, Doylestown, PA 18902, United States; The Blumberg Institute, 3805 Old Easton Rd, Doylestown, PA 18902, United States.
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Kakarla R, Liu J, Naduthambi D, Chang W, Mosley RT, Bao D, Steuer HMM, Keilman M, Bansal S, Lam AM, Seibel W, Neilson S, Furman PA, Sofia MJ. Discovery of a novel class of potent HCV NS4B inhibitors: SAR studies on piperazinone derivatives. J Med Chem 2014; 57:2136-60. [PMID: 24476391 DOI: 10.1021/jm4012643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
HTS screening identified compound 2a (piperazinone derivative) as a low micromolar HCV genotype 1 (GT-1) inhibitor. Resistance mapping studies suggested that this piperazinone chemotype targets the HCV nonstructural protein NS4B. Extensive SAR studies were performed around 2a and the amide function and the C-3/C-6 cis stereochemistry of the piperazinone core were essential for HCV activity. A 10-fold increase in GT-1 potency was observed when the chiral phenylcyclopropyl amide side chain of 2a was replaced with p-fluorophenylisoxazole-carbonyl moiety (67). Replacing the C-6 nonpolar hydrophobic moiety of 67 with a phenyl moiety (95) did not diminish the GT-1 potency. A heterocyclic thiophene moiety (103) and an isoxazole moiety (108) were incorporated as isosteric replacements for the C-6 phenyl moiety (95), resulting in significant improvement in GT-1b and 1a potency. However, the piperazonone class of compounds lacks GT-2 activity and, consequently, were not pursued further into development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Kakarla
- Pharmasset, Inc. 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
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Du J, Chun BK, Mosley RT, Bansal S, Bao H, Espiritu C, Lam AM, Murakami E, Niu C, Micolochick Steuer HM, Furman PA, Sofia MJ. Use of 2′-Spirocyclic Ethers in HCV Nucleoside Design. J Med Chem 2013; 57:1826-35. [DOI: 10.1021/jm401224y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jinfa Du
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Byoung-Kwon Chun
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Ralph T. Mosley
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Shalini Bansal
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Haiying Bao
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Christine Espiritu
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Angela M. Lam
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Eisuke Murakami
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Congrong Niu
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | | | - Phillip A. Furman
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Michael J. Sofia
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
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26
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Abstract
The HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is an essential enzyme in HCV viral replication and has been a prominent target in the search for therapies to treat individuals infected with HCV. The development of both nucleoside and nucleotide HCV inhibitors has been pursued because of their potential for showing pangenotypic activity and because of their high barrier to resistance. Even though nucleoside inhibitors were shown to be effective in a clinical setting, their potency limited their effectiveness. The exploitation of prodrug strategies to deliver nucleoside 5'-monophosphates has resulted in the development of a number of very potent inhibitors of HCV replication. In addition, several of these nucleotide prodrugs have demonstrated liver-targeting characteristics when administered orally. Human clinical studies have shown that a number of nucleotide prodrugs are potent inhibitors of viral replication leading to significant reductions in viral load when given orally. Combinations of these nucleotide prodrugs with either pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin or another direct acting antiviral alone has lead to cure rates as high as 100% after only 12 weeks of therapy. The combination of a nucleotide prodrug and another direct-acting antiviral agent holds the promise of delivering an interferon-free therapy for HCV patients thus eliminating the undesirable side effects associated with taking interferon.
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Gerritz SW, Zhai W, Shi S, Zhu S, Toyn JH, Meredith JE, Iben LG, Burton CR, Albright CF, Good AC, Tebben AJ, Muckelbauer JK, Camac DM, Metzler W, Cook LS, Padmanabha R, Lentz KA, Sofia MJ, Poss MA, Macor JE, Thompson LA. Acyl Guanidine Inhibitors of β-Secretase (BACE-1): Optimization of a Micromolar Hit to a Nanomolar Lead via Iterative Solid- and Solution-Phase Library Synthesis. J Med Chem 2012; 55:9208-23. [DOI: 10.1021/jm300931y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel W. Gerritz
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Weixu Zhai
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Shuhao Shi
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Shirong Zhu
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Jeremy H. Toyn
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Jere E. Meredith
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Lawrence G. Iben
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Catherine R. Burton
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Charles F. Albright
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Andrew C. Good
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Andrew J. Tebben
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-4000, United States
| | - Jodi K. Muckelbauer
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-4000, United States
| | - Daniel M. Camac
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-4000, United States
| | - William Metzler
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-4000, United States
| | - Lynda S. Cook
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Ramesh Padmanabha
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Kimberley A. Lentz
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Michael J. Sofia
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Michael A. Poss
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-4000, United States
| | - John E. Macor
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Lorin A. Thompson
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research,
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
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Bao D, Reddy PG, Ross BS, Sofia MJ. Rapid differentiation of nucleotide phosphoramidate diastereomers by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2012; 26:1887-1892. [PMID: 22777791 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.6307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Nucleotide phosphoramidates are prodrugs which effectively deliver the active nucleotide to target tissues. It was shown that the individual phosphoramidate diastereomers have different antiviral activity, although the active nucleotide is the same. Therefore, a fast and simple analytical method is needed to characterize the individual diastereomeric phosphoramidate prodrugs. METHODS Stock solutions of diastereomeric nucleotide phosphoramidate prodrugs, i.e., 5'-phosphate derivatives of the β-D-2'-deoxy-2'-α-fluoro-2'-β-C-methyluridine nucleotide, were made in 25% acetonitrile to achieve a final concentration of 10 µg/mL. The samples were studied using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). RESULTS The MS/MS spectra of diastereomeric pairs showed substantial differences in the relative abundances of a characteristic ion in negative mode, which is proposed to be a cyclic phosphoramidate ion. Results were confirmed by the MS/MS spectrum of an analog without the NH proton and deuterium exchange experiment. Furthermore, the diastereomer-specific fragmentation behavior in negative ESI-MS was used to characterize a series of nucleotide phosphoramidates with different amino acid and aromatic substituents. CONCLUSIONS An HPLC/MS/MS method was developed for the differentiation of the diastereomers of phosphoramidate prodrugs. In negative mode MS/MS spectra, the cyclic phosphoramidate ions yielded unambiguous distinction. This method presented a rapid and simple way for the characterization of nucleotide phosphoramidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghui Bao
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
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29
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Du J, Bao D, Chun BK, Jiang Y, Reddy PG, Zhang HR, Ross BS, Bansal S, Bao H, Espiritu C, Lam AM, Murakami E, Niu C, Micolochick Steuer HM, Furman PA, Otto MJ, Sofia MJ. β-D-2'-α-F-2'-β-C-Methyl-6-O-substituted 3',5'-cyclic phosphate nucleotide prodrugs as inhibitors of hepatitis C virus replication: a structure-activity relationship study. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2012; 22:5924-9. [PMID: 22892115 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.07.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2012] [Revised: 07/13/2012] [Accepted: 07/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The 3',5'-cyclic phosphate prodrug 9-[β-d-2'-deoxy-2'-α-fluoro-2'-β-C-methylribofuranosyl]-2-amino-6-ethoxypurine, PSI-352938 1, has demonstrated promising anti-HCV efficacy in vitro and in human clinical trials. A structure-activity relationship study of the nucleoside 3',5'-cyclic phosphate series of β-d-2'-deoxy-2'-α-fluoro-2'-β-C-methylribofuranosyl nucleoside prodrugs was undertaken and the anti-HCV activity and in vitro safety profile were assessed. Cycloalkyl 3',5'-cyclic phosphate prodrugs were shown to be significantly more potent as inhibitors of HCV replication than branched and straight chain alkyl 3',5'-cyclic phosphate prodrugs. No cytotoxicity and mitochondrial toxicity for prodrugs 12, 13 and 19 were observed at concentrations up to 100 μm in vitro. Cycloalkyl esters of 3',5'-cyclic phosphate nucleotide prodrugs demonstrated the ability to produce high levels of active triphosphate in clone-A cells and primary human hepatocytes. Compounds 12, 13 and 19 also demonstrated the ability to effectively deliver in vivo high levels of active nucleoside phosphates to rat liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinfa Du
- Pharmasset, Inc., Princeton 303A College Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
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Liu J, Du J, Wang P, Nagarathnam D, Espiritu CL, Bao H, Murakami E, Furman PA, Sofia MJ. A 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-2'-C-methyl uridine cyclopentyl carbocyclic analog and its phosphoramidate prodrug as inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase. Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids 2012; 31:277-85. [PMID: 22444190 DOI: 10.1080/15257770.2012.658131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The 2 '-deoxy-2 '-fluoro-2 '-C-methyluridine nucleotide prodrug, PSI-7851 and its single diastereomer PSI-7977 have displayed potent antiviral activity against hepatitis C virus in clinical trials, and PSI-7977 is currently in Phase III studies. As part of our SAR study of the 2 '-deoxy-2 '-fluoro-2 '- C-methyl class of nucleosides, we prepared the cyclopentyl carbocyclic uridine analog 11 and its phosphoramidate prodrug 15. Both 11 and 15 were shown not to inhibit HCV replication. This lack of activity might be attributed to the inability of the monophosphate to be converted to the corresponding diphosphate or triphosphate or the inactivity of triphosphate of 11 as an inhibitor of the polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Liu
- Pharmasset, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA.
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31
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Wang P, Rachakonda S, Zennou V, Keilman M, Niu C, Bao D, Ross BS, Furman PA, Otto MJ, Sofia MJ. Phosphoramidate prodrugs of (-)-β-D-(2R,4R)-dioxolane-thymine (DOT) as potent anti-HIV agents. Antivir Chem Chemother 2012; 22:217-38. [PMID: 22358223 DOI: 10.3851/imp2079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/21/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are an effective class of agents that has played a vital role in the treatment of HIV infections. (-)-β-D-(2R,4R)-dioxolane-thymine (DOT) is a thymidine analogue that is active against wild-type and NRTI-resistant HIV-1 mutants. It has been shown that the anti-HIV activity of DOT is limited due to poor monophosphorylation. METHODS To further enhance the anti-HIV activity of DOT, an extensive structure-activity relationship analysis of phosphoramidate prodrugs of DOT monophosphate was undertaken. These prodrugs were evaluated for anti-HIV activity using Hela CD4 β-gal reporter cells (P4-CCR5 luc cells). RESULTS Among the synthesized prodrugs, the 4-bromophenyl benzyloxy l-alanyl phosphate derivative of DOT was the most potent, with a 50% effective concentration of 0.089 μM corresponding to a 75-fold increase in activity relative to the parent nucleoside DOT with no increased cytotoxicity. The metabolic stability of a selected number of potent DOT phosphoramidates was also evaluated in simulated gastric fluid, simulated intestinal fluid, human plasma and liver S9 fractions. CONCLUSIONS A series of new phosphoramidate prodrugs of DOT were prepared and evaluated as inhibitors of HIV replication in vitro. Metabolic stability studies indicated that these DOT phosphoramidate derivatives have the potential to show acceptable stability in the gastrointestinal tract, but they metabolize rapidly in the liver.
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Chang W, Mosley RT, Bansal S, Keilman M, Lam AM, Furman PA, Otto MJ, Sofia MJ. Inhibition of hepatitis C virus NS5A by fluoro-olefin based γ-turn mimetics. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2012; 22:2938-42. [PMID: 22425564 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.02.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2012] [Revised: 02/14/2012] [Accepted: 02/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The HCV non-structural protein NS5A has been established as a viable target for the development of direct acting antiviral therapy. From computational modeling studies strong intra-molecular hydrogen bonds were found to be a common structural moiety within known NS5A inhibitors that have low pico-molar replicon potency. Efforts to reproduce these γ-turn-like substructures provided a novel NS5A inhibitor based on a fluoro-olefin isostere. This fluoro-olefin containing inhibitor exhibited picomolar activity (EC(50)=79 pM) against HCV genotype 1b replicon without measurable cytotoxicity. This level of activity is comparable to the natural peptide-based inhibitors currently under clinic evaluation, and demonstrates that a peptidomimetic approach can serve as a useful strategy to produce potent and structurally unique inhibitors of HCV NS5A.
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Chun BK, Du J, Zhang HR, Chang W, Ross BS, Jiang Y, Bao D, Espiritu CL, Keilman M, Steuer HMM, Furman PA, Sofia MJ. Synthesis of stable isotope labeled analogs of the anti-hepatitis C virus nucleotide prodrugs PSI-7977 and PSI-352938. Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids 2012; 30:886-96. [PMID: 22060553 DOI: 10.1080/15257770.2011.614308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
In order to support bioanalytical LC/MS method development and plasma sample analysis in preclinical and clinical studies of the anti-hepatitis C-virus nucleotides, PSI-7977 and PSI-352938, the corresponding stable isotope labeled forms were prepared. These labeled compounds were prepared by addition reaction of the freshly prepared Grignard reagent (13)CD(3)MgI to the corresponding 2 '-ketone nucleosides followed by fluorination of the resulting carbinol with DAST. As expected, these 2 '-C-(trideuterated-(13)C-methyl) nucleotide prodrugs showed similar anti-HCV activity to that of the corresponding unlabeled ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byoung-Kwon Chun
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
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Sofia MJ, Chang W, Furman PA, Mosley RT, Ross BS. Nucleoside, nucleotide, and non-nucleoside inhibitors of hepatitis C virus NS5B RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase. J Med Chem 2012; 55:2481-531. [PMID: 22185586 DOI: 10.1021/jm201384j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sofia
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States.
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Abstract
Prodrugs of therapeutic nucleoside monophosphates masked as phosphoramidate derivatives have become an increasingly important class of antiviral drugs in pharmaceutical research for delivering nucleotides in vitro and in vivo. Conventionally, phosphoramidate derivatives are prepared as a mixture of two diastereomers. We report a class of stable phosphoramidating reagents containing an amino acid ester and two phenolic groups, one unsubstituted and the other with electron-withdrawing substituents. The reagents can be isolated as single diastereomers and reacted with the 5'-hydroxyl group of nucleosides through selective nucleophilic displacement of the substituted phenol to prepare single diastereomer phosphoramidate products. This method has been used to prepare the HCV clinical candidate PSI-7977 in high yield and high diastereomeric purity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce S Ross
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States.
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Abstract
HCV infection is a significant worldwide health problem and is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. The current standard of care, interferon and ribavirin, is only effective against a proportion of the patient population infected with HCV. To address the shortcomings of existing therapy, the development of direct acting antiviral agents is under investigation. The HCV RNA dependent RNA polymerase is an essential enzyme for viral replication and is therefore a logical target against which to develop novel anti-HCV agents. Nucleosides have been shown to be effective as antiviral agents for other viral diseases and therefore, have been investigated as inhibitors of HCV replication. The development of prodrugs of nucleoside 5'-monophosphates has been pursued to address limitations associated with poor nucleoside phosphorylation. This is required to produce the nucleoside 5'-triphosphate which is the anabolite that is the actual inhibitor of the polymerase enzyme. Prodrugs of nucleoside 5'-monophosphates have been developed that enable their delivery into cells and in vivo into the liver. The implementation of these prodrug strategies has ultimately led to the identification of several prodrugs of nucleoside 5'-monophosphates that are potent inhibitors of HCV replication in vitro. They have progressed into the clinic and the early data demonstrate greatly reduced viral load levels in HCV-infected patients. This review will survey the state of nucleotide prodrugs for the treatment of HCV.
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Bao D, Ross BS, Sofia MJ. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantitative determination of diastereomers of a phosphoramidate nucleotide prodrug (PSI-7851) in human plasma. Biomed Chromatogr 2011; 26:583-8. [PMID: 21842514 DOI: 10.1002/bmc.1678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2011] [Revised: 06/24/2011] [Accepted: 06/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
A rapid and stereospecific method using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) for the separation and determination of PSI-7851 diastereomers in human K₂EDTA plasma has been developed. The analytical method involves direct protein precipitation with acetonitrile, followed by separation of the diastereomers on a Luna C₁₈ column, positive mode electrospray ionization and selected reaction monitoring mode mass spectrometry detection. The mobile phase composition and pH were investigated for the resolution of the two diastereomers of PSI-7851. The optimized method showed good resolution (R(s) = 4.8) within short analysis time (approximately 8 min). The assay range was 5-2500 ng/mL for both diastereomers using a 1/x² weighted linear regression analysis for standard curve fitting. Replicate sample analysis indicated that intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision were within ±15.0%. The recovery of diastereomers from human plasma was greater than 85% and no significant matrix effect was observed. The method was demonstrated to be sensitive, selective and robust, and was successfully used to support clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghui Bao
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
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Wang P, Naduthambi D, Mosley RT, Niu C, Furman PA, Otto MJ, Sofia MJ. Phenylpropenamide derivatives: Anti-hepatitis B virus activity of the Z isomer, SAR and the search for novel analogs. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2011; 21:4642-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2011.05.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2011] [Revised: 05/18/2011] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Murakami E, Bao H, Mosley RT, Du J, Sofia MJ, Furman PA. Adenosine deaminase-like protein 1 (ADAL1): characterization and substrate specificity in the hydrolysis of N(6)- or O(6)-substituted purine or 2-aminopurine nucleoside monophosphates. J Med Chem 2011; 54:5902-14. [PMID: 21755941 DOI: 10.1021/jm200650j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Human N(6)-methyl-AMP/dAMP aminohydrolase has been shown to be involved in metabolism of pharmacologically important N(6)-substituted purine nucleosides and 5'-monophosphate prodrugs thereof. This enzyme was cloned and expressed in E. coli, and mass spectroscopic analysis followed by amino acid sequence analyses indicated that the protein was adenosine deaminase-like protein isoform 1 (ADAL1). An extensive structure-activity relationship study showed that ADAL1 was able to catalyze removal of different alkyl groups not only from N(6)-substituted purine or 2-aminopurine nucleoside monophosphates but also from O(6)-substituted compounds. The ADAL1 activity was susceptible to modifications in the phosphate moiety but not to changes in the sugar moiety. Overall, our data indicated that ADAL1 specifically acts at the 6-position of purine and 2-aminopurine nucleoside monophosphates. Our results may help designing of new therapeutic nucleoside/nucleotide prodrugs with desired metabolic profiles. Furthermore, amino acid sequence analysis in conjunction with crystallographic data and metal analysis suggested that ADAL1 contains a catalytic zinc ion. Finally, a potential physiological role of ADAL1 is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eisuke Murakami
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA.
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Furman PA, Murakami E, Niu C, Lam AM, Espiritu C, Bansal S, Bao H, Tolstykh T, Micolochick Steuer H, Keilman M, Zennou V, Bourne N, Veselenak RL, Chang W, Ross BS, Du J, Otto MJ, Sofia MJ. Activity and the metabolic activation pathway of the potent and selective hepatitis C virus pronucleotide inhibitor PSI-353661. Antiviral Res 2011; 91:120-32. [PMID: 21600932 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2011.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2011] [Revised: 03/24/2011] [Accepted: 05/06/2011] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
PSI-353661, a phosphoramidate prodrug of 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-2'-C-methylguanosine-5'-monophosphate, is a highly active inhibitor of genotype 1a, 1b, and 2a HCV RNA replication in the replicon assay and of genotype 1a and 2a infectious virus replication. PSI-353661 is active against replicons harboring the NS5B S282T or S96T/N142T amino acid alterations that confer decreased susceptibility to nucleoside/tide analogs as well as mutations that confer resistance to non-nucleoside inhibitors of NS5B. Replicon clearance studies show that PSI-353661 was able to clear cells of HCV replicon RNA and prevent a rebound in replicon RNA. PSI-353661 showed no toxicity toward bone marrow stem cells or mitochondrial toxicity. The metabolism to the active 5'-triphosphate involves hydrolysis of the carboxyl ester by cathepsin A (Cat A) and carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) followed by a putative nucleophilic attack on the phosphorus by the carboxyl group resulting in the elimination of phenol and the alaninyl phosphate metabolite, PSI-353131. Histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (Hint 1) then removes the amino acid moiety, which is followed by hydrolysis of the methoxyl group at the O(6)-position of the guanine base by adenosine deaminase-like protein 1 (ADAL1) to give 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-2'-C-methylguanosine-5'-monophosphate. The monophosphate is phosphorylated to the diphosphate by guanylate kinase. Nucleoside diphosphate kinase is the primary enzyme involved in phosphorylation of the diphosphate to the active triphosphate, PSI-352666. PSI-352666 is equally active against wild-type NS5B and NS5B containing the S282T amino acid alteration.
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41
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Murakami E, Bao H, Mosely R, Du J, Sofia MJ, Furman PA. Adenosine Deaminase-like Protein 1 (ADAL1) Catalyzes Removal of Different Alkyl Groups from N6- or O6-substituted Purine or 2-Aminopurine Nucleoside Monophosphates. Antiviral Res 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2011.03.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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42
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Reddy PG, Chun BK, Zhang HR, Rachakonda S, Ross BS, Sofia MJ. Stereoselective Synthesis of PSI-352938: A β-d-2′-Deoxy-2′-α-fluoro-2′-β-C-methyl-3′,5′-cyclic Phosphate Nucleotide Prodrug for the Treatment of HCV. J Org Chem 2011; 76:3782-90. [DOI: 10.1021/jo200060f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P. Ganapati Reddy
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Byoung-Kwon Chun
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Hai-Ren Zhang
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Suguna Rachakonda
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Bruce S. Ross
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Michael J. Sofia
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
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43
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Chang W, Bao D, Chun BK, Naduthambi D, Nagarathnam D, Rachakonda S, Reddy PG, Ross BS, Zhang HR, Bansal S, Espiritu CL, Keilman M, Lam AM, Niu C, Steuer HM, Furman PA, Otto MJ, Sofia MJ. Discovery of PSI-353661, a Novel Purine Nucleotide Prodrug for the Treatment of HCV Infection. ACS Med Chem Lett 2011; 2:130-5. [PMID: 24900291 DOI: 10.1021/ml100209f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2010] [Accepted: 12/08/2010] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus afflicts approximately 180 million people worldwide, and the development of direct acting antivirals may offer substantial benefit compared to the current standard of care. Accordingly, prodrugs of 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-2'-C-methylguanosine monophosphate analogues were prepared and evaluated for their anti-HCV efficacy and tolerability. These prodrugs demonstrated >1000 fold greater potency than the parent nucleoside in a cell-based replicon assay as a result of higher intracellular triphosphate levels. Further optimization led to the discovery of the clinical candidate PSI-353661, which has demonstrated strong in vitro inhibition against HCV without cytotoxicity and equipotent activity against both the wild type and the known S282T nucleoside/tide resistant replicon. PSI-353661 is currently in preclinical development for the treatment of HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonsuk Chang
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Donghui Bao
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Byoung-Kwon Chun
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Devan Naduthambi
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Dhanapalan Nagarathnam
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Suguna Rachakonda
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - P. Ganapati Reddy
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Bruce S. Ross
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Hai-Ren Zhang
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Shalini Bansal
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Christine L. Espiritu
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Meg Keilman
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Angela M. Lam
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Congrong Niu
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | | | - Phillip A. Furman
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Michael J. Otto
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
| | - Michael J. Sofia
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540-6608, United States
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44
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Reddy PG, Bao D, Chang W, Chun BK, Du J, Nagarathnam D, Rachakonda S, Ross BS, Zhang HR, Bansal S, Espiritu CL, Keilman M, Lam AM, Niu C, Steuer HM, Furman PA, Otto MJ, Sofia MJ. 2'-deoxy-2'-α-fluoro-2'-β-C-methyl 3',5'-cyclic phosphate nucleotide prodrug analogs as inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase: discovery of PSI-352938. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2010; 20:7376-80. [PMID: 21050754 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2010.10.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2010] [Revised: 10/06/2010] [Accepted: 10/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A series of novel 2'-deoxy-2'-α-fluoro-2'-β-C-methyl 3',5'-cyclic phosphate nucleotide prodrug analogs were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anti-HCV activity and safety. These prodrugs demonstrated a 10-100-fold greater potency than the parent nucleoside in a cell-based replicon assay due to higher cellular triphosphate levels. Our structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies provided compounds that gave high levels of active triphosphate in rat liver when administered orally to rats. These studies ultimately led to the selection of the clinical development candidate 24a (PSI-352938).
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Affiliation(s)
- P Ganapati Reddy
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
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45
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Sofia MJ, Furman PA, Symonds WT. 2′-F-2′- C-Methyl Nucleosides and Nucleotides for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus: from Discovery to the Clinic. Accounts in Drug Discovery 2010. [DOI: 10.1039/9781849731980-00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is believed to have infected over 170 million individuals worldwide and is considered a global health problem. Infection with HCV is known to lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma. The search for direct-acting antiviral agents that inhibit the replication of HCV has focused on the HCV non-structural proteins of which the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is one. Nucleoside inhibitor strategies have proven fruitful in the identification of potent and selective inhibitors of HCV polymerase. The 2′-F-2′-C-methyl class of nucleos(t)ides have proved particularly useful in that this class of nucleos(t)ides show good potency, selectivity, broad genotype coverage and demonstrate a high barrier to resistance. RG7128 and PSI-7851 are members of the 2′-F-2′-C-methyl class of nucleos(t)ides. RG7128 is an ester prodrug of PSI-6130, a cytidine nucleoside, and has demonstrated potent clinical efficacy in genotype 1,2,3 and 4 patients. RG7128 is currently in Phase IIb clinical study. PSI-7851, a liver targeting prodrug, has demonstrated clinical efficacy and an acceptable safety profile in genotype 1 patients. The discovery and clinical development of RG7128 and PSI-7851 are presented.
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46
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Sofia MJ, Bao D, Chang W, Du J, Nagarathnam D, Rachakonda S, Reddy PG, Ross BS, Wang P, Zhang HR, Bansal S, Espiritu C, Keilman M, Lam AM, Steuer HMM, Niu C, Otto MJ, Furman PA. Discovery of a β-d-2′-Deoxy-2′-α-fluoro-2′-β-C-methyluridine Nucleotide Prodrug (PSI-7977) for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus. J Med Chem 2010; 53:7202-18. [DOI: 10.1021/jm100863x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 481] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Sofia
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Donghui Bao
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Wonsuk Chang
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Jinfa Du
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | | | - Suguna Rachakonda
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - P. Ganapati Reddy
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Bruce S. Ross
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Peiyuan Wang
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Hai-Ren Zhang
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Shalini Bansal
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | | | - Meg Keilman
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Angela M. Lam
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | | | - Congrong Niu
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Michael J. Otto
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Phillip A. Furman
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
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47
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Murakami E, Tolstykh T, Bao H, Niu C, Steuer HMM, Bao D, Chang W, Espiritu C, Bansal S, Lam AM, Otto MJ, Sofia MJ, Furman PA. Mechanism of activation of PSI-7851 and its diastereoisomer PSI-7977. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:34337-47. [PMID: 20801890 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.161802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 222] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A phosphoramidate prodrug of 2'-deoxy-2'-α-fluoro-β-C-methyluridine-5'-monophosphate, PSI-7851, demonstrates potent anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) activity both in vitro and in vivo. PSI-7851 is a mixture of two diastereoisomers, PSI-7976 and PSI-7977, with PSI-7977 being the more active inhibitor of HCV RNA replication in the HCV replicon assay. To inhibit the HCV NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, PSI-7851 must be metabolized to the active triphosphate form. The first step, hydrolysis of the carboxyl ester by human cathepsin A (CatA) and/or carboxylesterase 1 (CES1), is a stereospecific reaction. Western blot analysis showed that CatA and CES1 are both expressed in primary human hepatocytes. However, expression of CES1 is undetectable in clone A replicon cells. Studies with inhibitors of CatA and/or CES1 indicated that CatA is primarily responsible for hydrolysis of the carboxyl ester in clone A cells, although in primary human hepatocytes, both CatA and CES1 contribute to the hydrolysis. Hydrolysis of the ester is followed by a putative nucleophilic attack on the phosphorus by the carboxyl group resulting in the spontaneous elimination of phenol and the production of an alaninyl phosphate metabolite, PSI-352707, which is common to both isomers. The removal of the amino acid moiety of PSI-352707 is catalyzed by histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (Hint1) to give the 5'-monophosphate form, PSI-7411. siRNA-mediated Hint1 knockdown studies further indicate that Hint1 is, at least in part, responsible for converting PSI-352707 to PSI-7411. PSI-7411 is then consecutively phosphorylated to the diphosphate, PSI-7410, and to the active triphosphate metabolite, PSI-7409, by UMP-CMP kinase and nucleoside diphosphate kinase, respectively.
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48
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Pendri A, Troyer TL, Sofia MJ, Walker MA, Naidu BN, Banville J, Meanwell NA, Dicker I, Lin Z, Krystal M, Gerritz SW. Solid Phase Synthesis of Novel Pyrrolidinedione Analogs as Potent HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 12:84-90. [DOI: 10.1021/cc9001026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Annapurna Pendri
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Timothy L. Troyer
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Michael J. Sofia
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Michael A. Walker
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - B. Narasimhulu Naidu
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Jacques Banville
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Nicholas A. Meanwell
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Ira Dicker
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Zeyu Lin
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Mark Krystal
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
| | - Samuel W. Gerritz
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492
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49
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Shi S, Zhu S, Gerritz SW, Rachwal B, Ruan Z, Hutchins R, Kakarla R, Sofia MJ, Sutton J, Cheney D. Solid-phase synthesis of a library based on biphenyl-containing trypsin-like serine protease inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2009; 19:6477-80. [PMID: 19804972 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2009.08.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2009] [Revised: 08/20/2009] [Accepted: 08/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The solid-phase synthesis of a library based on an unusual biphenyl-containing trypsin-like serine protease inhibitor is described. Key to this effort was the synthesis of a highly functionalized aryl boronic acid reagent which required the development of a novel and efficient method to convert a triflate to a pinacolboronate in large scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhao Shi
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, CT 06492, USA.
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50
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Wang P, Chun BK, Rachakonda S, Du J, Khan N, Shi J, Stec W, Cleary D, Ross BS, Sofia MJ. An Efficient and Diastereoselective Synthesis of PSI-6130: A Clinically Efficacious Inhibitor of HCV NS5B Polymerase. J Org Chem 2009; 74:6819-24. [DOI: 10.1021/jo901345j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peiyuan Wang
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Byoung-Kwon Chun
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | | | - Jinfa Du
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Noshena Khan
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Junxing Shi
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Wojciech Stec
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Darryl Cleary
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Bruce S. Ross
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - Michael J. Sofia
- Pharmasset, Inc., 303A College Road E., Princeton, New Jersey 08540
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