Joseph Raymond Stock

Discovery of Begacestat, a Notch-1-Sparing γ-Secretase Inhibitor for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

SAR on HTS hits 1 and 2 led to the potent, Notch-1-sparing GSI 9, which lowered brain Abeta in Tg2576 mice at 100 mg/kg po. Converting the metabolically labile methyl groups in 9 to trifluoromethyl groups afforded the more stable analogue 10, which had improved in vivo potency. Further side chain modification afforded the potent Notch-1-sparing GSI begacestat (5), which was selected for development for the treatment of Alzheimers disease.

Identification, Characterization and Initial Hit-to-Lead Optimization of a Series of 4-Arylamino-3-Pyridinecarbonitrile as Protein Kinase C theta (PKCθ) Inhibitors

The protein kinase C (PKC) family of serine/threonine kinases is implicated in a wide variety of cellular processes. The PKC theta (PKCtheta) isoform is involved in TCR signal transduction and T cell activation and regulates T cell mediated diseases, including lung inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Thus inhibition of PKCtheta enzyme activity by a small molecule represents an attractive strategy for the treatment of asthma. A PKCtheta high-throughput screening (HTS) campaign led to the identification of 4-(3-bromophenylamino)-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-pyridinecarbonitrile 4a, a low microM ATP competitive PKCtheta inhibitor. Structure based hit-to-lead optimization led to the identification of 5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-(1H-indol-5-ylamino)-3-pyridinecarbonitrile 4p, a 70 nM PKCtheta inhibitor. Compound 4p was selective for inhibition of novel PKC isoforms over a panel of 21 serine/threonine, tyrosine, and phosphoinositol kinases, in addition to the conventional and atypical PKCs, PKCbeta, and PKCzeta, respectively. Compound 4p also inhibited IL-2 production in antiCD3/anti-CD28 activated T cells enriched from splenocytes.

Discovery and initial optimization of 5,5'-disubstituted aminohydantoins as potent β-secretase (BACE1) inhibitors

8,8-Diphenyl-2,3,4,8-tetrahydroimidazo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-6-amine (1) was identified through HTS, as a weak (micromolar) inhibitor of BACE1. X-Ray crystallographic studies indicate the 2-aminoimidazole ring forms key H-bonding interactions with Asp32 and Asp228 in the catalytic site of BACE1. Lead optimization using structure-based focused libraries led to the identification of low nanomolar BACE1 inhibitors such as 20b with substituents which extend from the S(1) to the S(3) pocket.

Discovery of a novel series of Notch-sparing γ-secretase inhibitors

Using a cell-based assay, we have identified a new series of Notch-sparing gamma-secretase inhibitors from HTS screening leads 2a and 2e. Lead optimization studies led to the discovery of analog 8e with improved gamma-secretase inhibitory potency and Notch-sparing selectivity.

(S)-N-(5-Chlorothiophene-2-sulfonyl)-β,β-diethylalaninol a Notch-1-sparing γ-secretase inhibitor

Accumulation of beta-amyloid (Abeta), produced by the proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta- and gamma-secretase, is widely believed to be associated with Alzheimers disease (AD). Research around the high-throughput screening hit (S)-4-chlorophenylsulfonyl isoleucinol led to the identification of the Notch-1-sparing (9.5-fold) gamma-secretase inhibitor (S)-N-(5-chlorothiophene-2-sulfonyl)-beta,beta-diethylalaninol 7.b.2 (Abeta(40/42) EC(50)=28 nM), which is efficacious in reduction of Abeta production in vivo.

Modification of the swern oxidation: use of a recyclable, polystyrene bound sulfoxide.

A method has been developed for the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides on polystyrene resin. The polystyrene bound sulfoxide may be used in Swern oxidation reactions, and the used reagent may be regenerated by oxidation with tert-butylhydrogen peroxide.

Benzimidazole- and indole-substituted 1,3′-bipyrrolidine benzamides as histamine H3 receptor antagonists

Using a focused screen of biogenic amine compounds we identified a novel series of H(3)R antagonists. A preliminary SAR study led to reduction of MW while increasing binding affinity and potency. Optimization of the physical properties of the series led to (S)-6n, with improved brain to plasma exposure and efficacy in both water intake and novel object recognition models.