Ted L. Underiner

Discovery of a Potent Inhibitor of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase with in Vivo Antitumor Activity

A series of novel 7-amino-1,3,4,5-tetrahydrobenzo[b]azepin-2-one derivatives within the diaminopyrimidine class of kinase inhibitors were identified that target anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). These inhibitors are potent against ALK in an isolated enzyme assay and inhibit autophosphorylation of the oncogenic fusion protein NPM-ALK in anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) cell lines. The lead inhibitor 15, which incorporates a bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene ring system in place of an aryl moiety, activates the pro-apoptotic caspases (3 and 7) and displays selective cytotoxicity against ALK-positive ALCL cells. Furthermore, 15 provides more than 40-fold selectivity against the structurally related insulin receptor, is orally bioavailable in multiple species, and displays in vivo antitumor efficacy when dosed orally in ALK-positive ALCL tumor xenografts in Scid mice.

Designing Chemical Libraries for Lead Discovery

The selection of compounds for use in high throughput biological assays is one of the critical factors that dictates the likelihood of detecting exploitable biological properties. In this paper, we present a process designed to deliver molecules that contain chemical functionality of immediate value in a lead discovery program, molecules that are sufficiently different from each other to ensure that redundancy of effort is avoided. The design process has already been implemented and used to add tens of thousands of reaction products to the Optiverse™ library

Synthesis and Biological Profile of the pan-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor/Tyrosine Kinase with Immunoglobulin and Epidermal Growth Factor-Like Homology Domains 2 (VEGF-R/TIE-2) Inhibitor 11-(2-Methylpropyl)-12,13-dihydro-2-methyl-8-(pyrimidin-2-ylamino)-4H-indazolo[5,4-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazol-4-one (CEP-11981): A Novel Oncology Therapeutic Agent

A substantial body of evidence supports the utility of antiangiogenesis inhibitors as a strategy to block or attenuate tumor-induced angiogenesis and inhibition of primary and metastatic tumor growth in a variety of solid and hematopoietic tumors. Given the requirement of tumors for different cytokine and growth factors at distinct stages of their growth and dissemination, optimal antiangiogenic therapy necessitates inhibition of multiple, complementary, and nonredundant angiogenic targets. 11-(2-Methylpropyl)-12,13-dihydro-2-methyl-8-(pyrimidin-2-ylamino)-4H-indazolo[5,4-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazol-4-one (11b, CEP-11981) is a potent orally active inhibitor of multiple targets (TIE-2, VEGF-R1, 2, and 3, and FGF-R1) having essential and nonredundant roles in tumor angiogenesis and vascular maintenance. Outlined in this article are the design strategy, synthesis, and biochemical and pharmacological profile for 11b, which completed Phase I clinical assessing safety and pharmacokinetics allowing for the initiation of proof of concept studies.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrido[2,3-b]pyrazines as potent and selective inhibitors of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase.

Dysregulation of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is implicated in a variety of cancers. A series of tetrahydropyrido[2,3-b]pyrazines was constructed as ring-constrained analogs of a known aminopyridine kinase scaffold. Chemistry was developed to rapidly elaborate the SAR, structural elements impacting ALK inhibitory activity were exploited, and kinase selective analogs were identified that inhibit ALK with IC(50) values approximately 10 nM (enzyme) and approximately 150 nM (cell).

Methanesulfonamido-cyclohexylamine derivatives of 2,4-diaminopyrimidine as potent ALK inhibitors

The incorporation of R,R-1,2-diaminocyclohexane at C4 in a series of 2,4-diaminopyrimidines led to a number of ALK inhibitors in which optimized activity was achieved by conversion of the 2-amino group into a methanesulfonamide. Tumor growth inhibition was observed when an orally bioavailable analog was evaluated in a Karpas-299 tumor xenograft mouse model.

2,7-Pyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazines as JAK2 inhibitors: Modification of target structure to minimize reactive metabolite formation

The JAK2/STAT pathway has important roles in hematopoiesis. With the discovery of the JAK2 V617F mutation and its presence in many patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, research in the JAK2 inhibitor arena has dramatically increased. We report a novel series of potent JAK2 inhibitors containing a 2,7-pyrrolotriazine core. To minimize potential drug-induced toxicity, targets were analyzed for the ability to form a glutathione adduct. Glutathione adduct formation was decreased by modification of the aniline substituent at C2.

Fused bicyclic derivatives of 2,4-diaminopyrimidine as c-Met inhibitors

The HGF-c-Met signaling axis is an important paracrine mediator of epithelial-mesenchymal cell interactions involving the regulation of multiple cellular activities including cell motility, mitogenesis, morphogenesis, and angiogenesis. Dysregulation of c-Met signaling (e.g., overexpression or increased activation) is associated with the development of a wide range of tumor types; thus, inhibiting the HGF-c-Met pathway is predicted to lead to anti-tumor effects in many cancers. Elaboration of a 2-arylaminopyrimidine scaffold led to a series of potent c-Met inhibitors bearing a C4-2-amino-N-methylbenzamide group. Specifically, a series of C2-benzazepinone analogs demonstrated potent inhibition of c-Met in enzymatic and cellular assays. Kinase selectivity could be tuned by varying the nature of the alkyl group on the benzazepinone nitrogen.

Solution Phase Synthesis of Chemical Libraries for Lead Discovery

By integrating advanced computational design and synthesis, a series of structurally diverse reaction products based on three core scaffolds were prepared by a propietary high throughput synthesis method. Incorporation of auto-mated work stations and sample handling techniques allowed for the production of more than 20,000 compounds in a relatively short time. A method to efficiently obtain quantitative and qualitative analytical data on these compounds was developed. Structural comparison of the individual members of this library with a database of clinical drug candidates revealed a significant degree of similarity based on Tanimoto coefficients.

2,4-Diaminopyrimidine inhibitors of c-Met kinase bearing benzoxazepine anilines

Elaboration of the SAR around a series of 2,4-diaminopyrimidines led to a number of c-Met inhibitors in which kinase selectivity was modulated by substituents appended on the C4-aminobenzamide ring and the nature of the C2-aminoaryl ring. Further lead optimization of the C2-aminoaryl group led to benzoxazepine analogs whose pharmaceutical properties were modulated by the nature of the substituent on the benzoxazepine nitrogen. Tumor stasis (with partial regressions) were observed when an orally bioavailable analog was evaluated in a GTL-16 tumor xenograft mouse model. Subsequent PK/PD studies suggested that a metabolite contributed to the overall in vivo response.

Optimization of a novel kinase inhibitor scaffold for the dual inhibition of JAK2 and FAK kinases.

The elaboration of a novel scaffold for the inhibition of JAK2 and FAK kinases was targeted in order to provide a dual inhibitor that could target divergent pathways for tumor cell progression.