In breast cancer, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) positive cancer accounts for approximately 74% of all diagnoses, and in these settings, it is a primary driver of cell proliferation. Treatment of ERα ...positive breast cancer has long relied on endocrine therapies such as selective estrogen receptor modulators, aromatase inhibitors, and selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs). The steroid-based anti-estrogen fulvestrant (5), the only approved SERD, is effective in patients who have not previously been treated with endocrine therapy as well as in patients who have progressed after receiving other endocrine therapies. Its efficacy, however, may be limited due to its poor physicochemical properties. We describe the design and synthesis of a series of potent benzothiophene-containing compounds that exhibit oral bioavailability and preclinical activity as SERDs. This article culminates in the identification of LSZ102 (10), a compound in clinical development for the treatment of ERα positive breast cancer.
Malignant tumors can evade destruction by the immune system by attracting immune-suppressive regulatory T cells (Treg) cells. The IKZF2 (Helios) transcription factor plays a crucial role in ...maintaining function and stability of Treg cells, and IKZF2 deficiency reduces tumor growth in mice. Here we report the discovery of NVP-DKY709, a selective molecular glue degrader of IKZF2 that spares IKZF1/3. We describe the recruitment-guided medicinal chemistry campaign leading to NVP-DKY709 that redirected the degradation selectivity of cereblon (CRBN) binders from IKZF1 toward IKZF2. Selectivity of NVP-DKY709 for IKZF2 was rationalized by analyzing the DDB1:CRBN:NVP-DKY709:IKZF2(ZF2 or ZF2-3) ternary complex X-ray structures. Exposure to NVP-DKY709 reduced the suppressive activity of human Treg cells and rescued cytokine production in exhausted T-effector cells. In vivo, treatment with NVP-DKY709 delayed tumor growth in mice with a humanized immune system and enhanced immunization responses in cynomolgus monkeys. NVP-DKY709 is being investigated in the clinic as an immune-enhancing agent for cancer immunotherapy.
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•NVP-DKY709 is a selective IKZF2 transcription factor degrader that spares IKZF1/3•Following recruitment to CRBN facilitated the identification of new glue degraders•DDB1:CRBN:DKY709:IKZF2(ZF2) X-ray structure rationalizes IKZF family selectivity•NVP-DKY709 reduces Treg suppression in vitro and degrades IKZF2 in monkeys and humans
Bonazzi et al. describe the discovery of clinical candidate NVP-DKY709, a selective degrader of the IKZF2 transcription factor that was identified on the basis of recruitment of IKZF2 to CRBN. NVP-DKY709 treatment reduces suppression by human regulatory T cells in vitro, reduces tumor growth in mice, and degrades IKZF2 in monkeys and humans.
Tetrahydroisoquinoline 40 has been identified as a potent ERα antagonist and selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), exhibiting good oral bioavailability, antitumor efficacy, and SERD activity ...in vivo. We outline the discovery and chemical optimization of the THIQ scaffold leading to THIQ 40 and showcase the racemization of the scaffold, pharmacokinetic studies in preclinical species, and the in vivo efficacy of THIQ 40 in a MCF-7 human breast cancer xenograft model.
Our studies have been aimed at the use of titanium(II)-mediated coupling reactions and their applications towards natural products. Intramolecular (silyloxy)enyne cyclizations, which had previously ...been developed in our group, are a powerful technique for the synthesis of complex polyenes, and this thesis describes the application of this methodology toward the total synthesis of amphidinolide J. A new titanium(II)-mediated fragment coupling reaction that provides trans-pyrans has also been developed. The utility of this new method is explored in the context of preliminary studies directed toward hemi-phorboxazole A.
Thesis (M.S.)--University of Colorado at Boulder, 2009.
Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 48-03, page: 1657. Adviser: Andrew J. Phillips.
Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL), a Seventh Framework Program European Union project, aims to generate novel knowledge on the mechanisms of initiation of allergy. Precise phenotypes ...of IgE-mediated allergic diseases will be defined in MeDALL. As part of MeDALL, a scientific seminar was held on January 24, 2011, to review current knowledge on the IgE-related phenotypes and to explore how a multidisciplinary effort could result in a new integrative translational approach. This article provides a summary of the meeting. It develops challenges in IgE-related phenotypes and new clinical and epidemiologic approaches to the investigation of allergic phenotypes, including cluster analysis, scale-free models, candidate biomarkers, and IgE microarrays; the particular case of severe asthma was reviewed. Then novel approaches to the IgE-associated phenotypes are reviewed from the individual mechanisms to the systems, including epigenetics, human in vitro immunology, systems biology, and animal models. The last chapter deals with the understanding of the population-based IgE-associated phenotypes in children and adolescents, including age effect in terms of maturation, observed effects of early-life exposures and shift of focus from early life to pregnancy, gene-environment interactions, cohort effects, and time trends in patients with allergic diseases. This review helps to define phenotypes of allergic diseases in MeDALL.
Infrared neural stimulation (INS) is a neurostimulation modality that uses pulsed infrared light to evoke artifact-free, spatially precise neural activity with a noncontact interface; however, the ...technique has not been demonstrated in humans. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of INS in humans in vivo. The feasibility of INS in humans was assessed in patients (n=7) undergoing selective dorsal root rhizotomy, where hyperactive dorsal roots, identified for transection, were stimulated in vivo with INS on two to three sites per nerve with electromyogram recordings acquired throughout the stimulation. The stimulated dorsal root was removed and histology was performed to determine thermal damage thresholds of INS. Threshold activation of human dorsal rootlets occurred in 63% of nerves for radiant exposures between 0.53 and 1.23 J/cm2. In all cases, only one or two monitored muscle groups were activated from INS stimulation of a hyperactive spinal root identified by electrical stimulation. Thermal damage was first noted at 1.09 J/cm2 and a 2∶1 safety ratio was identified. These findings demonstrate the success of INS as a fresh approach for activating human nerves in vivo and providing the necessary safety data needed to pursue clinically driven therapeutic and diagnostic applications of INS in humans.
We randomly assigned 71 patients with active chronic Crohn's disease who were resistant to or intolerant of corticosteroids to treatment with oral cyclosporine (5 to 7.5 mg per kilogram of body ...weight per day) or placebo for three months. Disease activity was assessed on a clinical grading scale without knowledge of the treatment given. At the end of the treatment period, 22 of the 37 cyclosporine-treated patients (59 percent) had improvement, as compared with 11 of the 34 placebo-treated patients (32 percent) (P = 0.032). During cyclosporine treatment, there was significant improvement in plasma orosomucoid levels (P = 0.0025) and the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (P = 0.00012). The effect of treatment became evident after two weeks. In the subsequent three months, during which the patients were gradually withdrawn from treatment, the improvement continued in 14 of the 37 patients (38 percent) in the cyclosporine group and in 5 of the 34 (15 percent) in the placebo group (P = 0.034). No serious adverse events were observed. We conclude that cyclosporine has a beneficial therapeutic effect in patients with active chronic Crohn's disease and resistance to or intolerance of corticosteroids.
A multi-model ensemble-based system for seasonal-to-interannual prediction has been developed in a joint European project known as DEMETER (Development of a European Multimodel Ensemble Prediction ...System for Seasonal to Interannual Prediction). The DEMETER system comprises seven global atmosphere–ocean coupled models, each running from an ensemble of initial conditions. Comprehensive hindcast evaluation demonstrates the enhanced reliability and skill of the multimodel ensemble over a more conventional single-model ensemble approach. In addition, innovative examples of the application of seasonal ensemble forecasts in malaria and crop yield prediction are discussed. The strategy followed in DEMETER deals with important problems such as communication across disciplines, downscaling of climate simulations, and use of probabilistic forecast information in the applications sector, illustrating the economic value of seasonal-to-interannual prediction for society as a whole.