Paul Faulder

4-Phenyl-7-Azaindoles as Potent, Selective and Bioavailable Ikk2 Inhibitors Demonstrating Good in Vivo Efficacy.

The lead optimization of a series of potent azaindole IKK2 inhibitors is described. Optimization of the human whole blood activity and selectivity over IKK1 in parallel led to the discovery of 16, a potent and selective IKK2 inhibitor showing good efficacy in a rat model of neutrophil activation.

From PIM1 to PI3Kδ via GSK3β: Target Hopping through the Kinome

Selective inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta are of interest for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Initial optimization of a 3-substituted indazole hit compound targeting the kinase PIM1 focused on improving selectivity over GSK3β through consideration of differences in the ATP binding pockets. Continued kinase cross-screening showed PI3Kδ activity in a series of 4,6-disubstituted indazole compounds, and subsequent structure-activity relationship exploration led to the discovery of an indole-containing lead compound as a potent PI3Kδ inhibitor with selectivity over the other PI3K isoforms.