Design and Synthesis of Inhibitors of the E3 Ligase SMAD Specific E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase 1 as a Treatment for Lung Remodeling in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating rare disease, which despite currently available treatments, still represents a high unmet medical need. Specific E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (SMURF1) is a HECT E3 ligase that ubiquitinates key signaling molecules from the TGFß/BMP pathways, which are of great relevance in the pathophysiology of PAH. Herein, the design and synthesis of novel potent small-molecule SMURF1 ligase inhibitors are described. Lead molecule 38 has demonstrated good oral pharmacokinetics in rats and significant efficacy in a rodent model of pulmonary hypertension.

Recent Advances in ALK2 Inhibitors.

Activin receptor-like kinase-2 (ALK2) is a type I bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor which has a role in biological processes that control the development of bone, heart, brain, and other tissue. Gain of function mutations in ALK2 have been identified in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) and the childhood brain tumor, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), which has given focus to the development of ALK2 inhibitors as targeted treatments. This review covers the structural features of ALK2 inhibitors which contribute to their ALK2 potency and selectivity, and the pharmacokinetic or in vivo efficacy data available to demonstrate their suitability for treating a peripheral or CNS disease.

A Rare Opportunity: Examining the Experience of a New Institutional Review Board.

The process of creating a new Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Research Ethics Committee (REC) presents many challenges; however, little has been published to describe this experience. Thus, many questions about creating a new IRB/REC and the challenges they face remain. The establishment of a new federal-wide single IRB provided a rare opportunity to describe these experience and outcomes. A census of the activity and outcomes of this new board is reported for its first 3 years of operation: The convened board approved 50 protocols, required an average of 93.24 days and 2.76 reviews for protocol approval, and issued an average of 31.82 stipulations per protocol. The census data helped to identify several issues that impacted the board's outcomes and it serves as a baseline for future comparisons. The overall dynamics, challenges, and outcomes of this new single IRB are discussed.

Measuring IRB Regulatory Compliance: Development, Testing, and Use of the National Cancer Institute StART Tool.

Institutional review boards (IRBs) have been criticized for overstepping their authority by requiring research protocols to meet requirements that go beyond regulatory approval criteria. The youngest National Cancer Institute (NCI) central IRB (CIRB), the Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) CIRB, was studied with the NCI Stipulation Analysis Review Tool (StART), which categorized 1,049 stipulations in 51 determination letters covering 30 approved protocols. NCI StART reduced the potential for subjective uncertainty in assessing the wide range of content in the stipulations. The tool determined the board functioned in accordance with federal mandates, with 80% of rendered stipulations aligning with IRB approval criteria. A complementary article provides background data and findings from the first 3 years' experience of the CPC CIRB.

Discovery, optimization, and biological evaluation of 5-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)indazoles as a novel class of transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1) antagonists.

A high throughput screening campaign identified 5-(2-chlorophenyl)indazole compound 4 as an antagonist of the transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1) ion channel with IC50 = 1.23 µM. Hit to lead medicinal chemistry optimization established the SAR around the indazole ring system, demonstrating that a trifluoromethyl group at the 2-position of the phenyl ring in combination with various substituents at the 6-position of the indazole ring greatly contributed to improvements in vitro activity. Further lead optimization resulted in the identification of compound 31, a potent and selective antagonist of TRPA1 in vitro (IC50 = 0.015 µM), which has moderate oral bioavailability in rodents and demonstrates robust activity in vivo in several rodent models of inflammatory pain.

Biomimetic total synthesis of cruentaren A via aromatization of diketodioxinones.

The total synthesis of cruentaren A, a biologically active resorcylate natural product, is reported. The aromatic unit was constructed via late-stage cyclization and aromatization from a diketodioxinone intermediate and macrocyclization using Fürstner ring-closing alkyne metathesis.