Discovery of Potent, Selective, and Brain-Penetrant Apoptosis Signal-Regulating Kinase 1 (ASK1) Inhibitors that Modulate Brain Inflammation In Vivo.

Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is one of the key mediators of the cellular stress response that regulates inflammation and apoptosis. To probe the therapeutic value of modulating this pathway in preclinical models of neurological disease, we further optimized the profile of our previously reported inhibitor 3. This effort led to the discovery of 32, a potent (cell IC50 = 25 nM) and selective ASK1 inhibitor with suitable pharmacokinetic and brain penetration (rat Cl/Clu = 1.6/56 L/h/kg and Kp,uu = 0.46) for proof-of-pharmacology studies. Specifically, the ability of 32 to inhibit ASK1 in the central nervous system (CNS) was evaluated in a human tau transgenic (Tg4510) mouse model exhibiting elevated brain inflammation. In this study, transgenic animals treated with 32 (at 3, 10, and 30 mg/kg, BID/PO for 4 days) showed a robust reduction of inflammatory markers (e.g., IL-1ß) in the cortex, thus confirming inhibition of ASK1 in the CNS.

Systematic Investigation of the Scope of Transannular C-H Heteroarylation of Cyclic Secondary Amines for Synthetic Application in Medicinal Chemistry.

Transannular C-H heteroarylation of amines provides rapid access to complex scaffolds that are otherwise difficult to synthesize. Wide adaptation of this emerging reaction for medicinal chemistry requires a broad understanding of substrate scope and more robust experimental conditions. In this article, we report a new ligand to promote the transannular reaction of a range of fused- and bridged-bicyclic secondary amines with a broad set of heteroarenes. The method was also successfully applied to the arylation of one spiro-bicyclic amine, a class of substrates that has not been studied in the context of transannular C-H activation reactions. The broad application of this transannular C-H heteroarylation methodology is currently hampered by the difficulty of removing the directing group. The development of a new directing group that is easier to remove will expand the utility of this reaction.

Design, synthesis and identification of novel, orally bioavailable non-covalent Nrf2 activators.

Nrf2 is a transcription factor regulating expression of the Phase II Antioxidant Response and plays an important role in neuroprotection and detoxification. Nrf2 activation is inhibited by interaction with Keap1. Covalent Keap1 inhibitors such as dimethyl fumarate (DMF) and RTA-408 are either on the market or in late stage clinical trials which implies potential benefit of Nrf2 activation. Activation of Nrf2 by disrupting Nrf2-Keap1 interaction through a non-covalent small molecule is an attractive approach with the promise of greater selectivity. However, there are no known non-covalent Nrf2 activators with acceptable pharmacokinetic properties to test the hypothesis in vivo. Based on our early reported work, using structural-based design, followed by extensive SAR exploration, we have identified a novel series of non-covalent Nrf2 activators, with sub-nanomolar binding affinity on Keap1 and single digit nanomolar activity in an astrocyte assay. A representative analog shows excellent oral PK and good Nrf2-dependent gene inductions in kidney. These results provide a peripheral in vivo tool compound to validate the biology of non-covalent activation of Nrf2.

One-pot C-N/C-C cross-coupling of methyliminodiacetic acid boronyl arenes enabled by protective enolization.

Iterative cross-coupling is a highly efficient and versatile strategy for modular construction in organic synthesis, though this has historically been demonstrated solely in the context of C-C bond formation. A C-N cross-coupling of haloarene methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronates with a wide range of aromatic and aliphatic amines is reported. Successful cross-coupling of aliphatic amines was realized only through protective enolization of the MIDA group. This reaction paradigm was subsequently utilized to achieve a one-pot C-N/C-C cross-coupling sequence.

Regioselective synthesis and slow-release Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of MIDA boronate-functionalized isoxazoles and triazoles.

The efficient preparation of heterocycles with a range of substitutions ortho to heteroatoms remains as a challenge in organic synthesis, particularly relevant to the construction of druglike molecules due to the ubiquitous presence of such moieties in that chemical space. Modular installation of heterocyclic building blocks using Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling is a conceptually useful strategy to address this challenge, though this has historically been met with technical difficulty due to issues of inaccessibility and instability of the requisite heterocyclic boronates. Herein we report a mild and highly regioselective cycloaddition approach which affords convenient access to stable MIDA boronate-functionalized isoxazoles and triazoles and their subsequent efficient Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. This methodology is then further applied to a set of druglike compounds in an efficient one-pot telescoped sequence in line with green chemistry principles.

One-pot reductive amination and Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of formyl aryl and heteroaryl MIDA boronates in array format.

Formyl-substituted aryl and heteroaryl MIDA boronates were prepared by a DMSO-free method and used in the first reported one-pot reductive amination-Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling sequence. This sequence was then carried out in parallel array format, using microwave-assisted in situ release cross-coupling of MIDA boronates to generate a library with diversity along two axes, affording rapid and convenient access to an array of druglike molecules.