We have previously reported the discovery of a series of rhodanine-based inhibitors of the PIM family of serine/threonine kinases. Here we described the optimisation of those compounds to improve their physicochemical and ADME properties as well as reducing their off-targets activities against other kinases. Through molecular modeling and systematic structure activity relationship (SAR) studies, advanced molecules with high inhibitory potency, reduced off-target activity and minimal efflux were identified as new pan-PIM inhibitors. One example of an early lead, OX01401, was found to inhibit PIMs with nanomolar potency (15 nM for PIM1), inhibit proliferation of two PIM-expressing leukaemic cancer cell lines, MV4-11 and K562, and to reduce intracellular phosphorylation of a PIM substrate in a concentration dependent manner.
Journal article
Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry
11/2020
28
Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK.
Humans, Thiazoles, Protein Kinase Inhibitors, Molecular Structure, Structure-Activity Relationship, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Models, Molecular, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1