Archive for February, 2013

Drug-target residence time: introducing a web focus

MedChemComm is delighted to present a concise web focus on drug-target residence time.

Koen Augustyns, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, introduces the topic and has hand-picked 3 articles for this spotlight:

‘Analysis of drug-target residence time has begun to play a larger role in drug discovery as suggested by recent literature. For compounds with a slow off rate, long action at the target may render a perfect pharmacokinetic profile unnecessary, and selectivity vs. other targets inhibited only briefly may be more readily achieved. Specific, irreversible inhibition may be considered as the logical extreme for this approach. For other targets or therapeutic areas, other kinetic profiles may be desirable. The topic is timely as indicated by a recently launched Innovative Medicines Initiative project and the organization of several symposia exclusively focusing on this subject. However, there is a real need to build a better understanding in the medicinal chemistry and drug discovery community of the preferred profiles and screening methods for compounds with optimized drug-target residence times.’

In this MedChemComm web focus Georges Vauquelin comments on the determination of drug-target residence time by radioligand binding and functional assays and discusses their physiological relevance. Duncan C. Miller et al. investigate how molecular properties may affect the dissociation kinetics of ligand from its biological target. Finally, Juswinder Singh et al. describe the superiority of a novel EGFR targeted covalent inhibitor over its reversible analogues in overcoming drug resistance.

Interested? Why not read these three articles now:

Determination of drug–receptor residence times by radioligand binding and functional assays: experimental strategies and physiological relevance
Georges Vauquelin
Med. Chem. Commun., 2012,3, 645-651
DOI: 10.1039/C2MD20015E, Review Article

Investigation of the effect of molecular properties on the binding kinetics of a ligand to its biological target
Duncan C. Miller, Graham Lunn, Peter Jones, Yogesh Sabnis, Nichola L. Davies and Paul Driscoll
Med. Chem. Commun., 2012,3, 449-452
DOI: 10.1039/C2MD00270A, Concise Article

Superiority of a novel EGFR targeted covalent inhibitor over its reversible counterpart in overcoming drug resistance
Juswinder Singh, Erica Evans, Margit Hagel, Matthew Labinski, Alex Dubrovskiy, Mariana Nacht, Russell C. Petter, Aravind Prasad, Michael Sheets, Thia St Martin, Robert Tjin Tham Sjin, William Westlin and Zhendong Zhu
Med. Chem. Commun., 2012,3, 780-783
DOI: 10.1039/C2MD20017A, Concise Article

We hope that you find this selection interesting and stimulating to read – and why not submit your latest research in the area today!

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Chemical biology and medicinal: Ionic liquids could aid in the delivery of active pharmaceutical compounds in the body

US scientists have provided a strategy to improve the properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) by combining ionic liquids (used to improve the properties of solid APIs) with prodrugs (used to improve solubility, permeability and bioavailability of APIs). The prodrug ionic liquids present additional advantages such as controlled release of the APIs in simulated body fluids. This work could offer an important strategy to improve the properties of APIs and drug delivery.

Prodrug ionic liquids: functionalizing neutral active pharmaceutical ingredients to take advantage of the ionic liquid form

Prodrug ionic liquids: functionalizing neutral active pharmaceutical ingredients to take advantage of the ionic liquid form
O. Andreea Cojocaru, Katharina Bica, Gabriela Gurau, Asako Narita, Parker D. McCrary, Julia L. Shamshina, Patrick S. Barber and Robin D. Rogers
MedChemComm, 2013
DOI: 10.1039/C3MD20359J

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Medicinal Chemistry Residential School – 17-21 June 2013, Loughborough University, UK

We are delighted to announce that the RSC Medicinal Chemistry Residential School, which has trained some of the world’s leading medicinal chemists in the pharmaceutical industry over the past thirty years, will return this summer.

Highly valued by the community, this intensive course aims to aid the transition from synthetic chemistry to medicinal chemistry and will explore current understanding of the factors governing modern drug discovery.

If you are a graduate or post-doctoral chemist with 1-5 years’ experience in the field of drug research or a final year PhD student in pharmacy and organic chemistry contemplating a career in medicinal chemistry, be sure to secure your place today.

For full details about the RSC Medicinal Chemistry Residential School, please visit the dedicated webpage.

Medicinal Chemistry Residential School – 17-21 June 2013, Loughborough University, UK

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Methanocarba ring, the rigid ribose modification for purine and pyrimidine receptors

Methanocarba ring as a ribose modification in ligands of G protein-coupled purine and pyrimidine receptors: synthetic approachesRibose containing adenosine receptors (ARs) and P2Y receptors for purine and pyrimidine nucleotides are involved in and regulate a myriad of physiological processes throughout the body, and have become important pharmaceutical targets for treating a diverse number of chronic and acute diseases.

An approach to enhance the selectivity of these nucleoside and nucleotide derivatives is to make the ribose ring more rigid. This is achieved by using a methanocarba (bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane) ring system as a rigid substitution for ribose which maintains either a North (N) or South (S) conformation, preserving or enhancing the potency and/or selectivity for certain receptor subtypes.

This review from Dilip K. Tosh and Kenneth A. Jacobson of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases summarises recent advances in the synthetic approaches to methanocarba derivatives in the context of their use as definitive pharmacological probes.

Methanocarba ring as a ribose modification in ligands of G protein-coupled purine and pyrimidine receptors: synthetic approaches
Dilip K. Tosh and Kenneth A. Jacobson
DOI: 10.1039/C2MD20348K

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