No abstract

The RAS proteins play a role in cell differentiation, proliferation, and survival. Aberrant RAS signaling has been found to play a role in 30% of all cancers. KRAS, a key member of the RAS protein family, is an attractive cancer target, as frequent point mutations in the KRAS gene render the protein constitutively active. A number of attempts have been made to target aberrant KRAS signaling by identifying small molecule compounds that (1) are synthetic lethal to mutant KRAS, (2) block KRAS/GEF interactions, (3) inhibit downstream KRAS effectors, or (4) inhibit the post-translational processing of RAS proteins. In addition, inhibition of novel targets outside the main KRAS signaling pathway, specifically the cell cycle related kinase PLK1, has been shown have an effect in cells that harbor mutant KRAS. Herein we review the use of various high-throughput screening assays utilized to identify new small-molecule compounds capable of targeting mutant KRAS-driven cancers.

Oncogenic conversion of the RET (rearranged during transfection) tyrosine kinase is associated with several cancers. A fragment-based chemical screen lead to the identification of a novel RET inhibitor, Pz-1. Modeling and kinetic analysis identified Pz-1 as a Type-II tyrosine kinase inhibitor, able to bind the DFG-out conformation of the kinase. Importantly, from a single-agent polypharmacology standpoint, Pz-1 was shown active on VEGFR2, which can block blood supply required for RET-stimulated growth. In cell based assays, 1.0 nM of Pz-1 strongly inhibited phosphorylation of all tested RET oncoproteins. At 1.0 mg/kg/day per os, Pz-1 abrogated formation of tumors induced by RET-mutant fibroblasts and blocked phosphorylation of both RET and VEGFR2 in tumor tissue. Pz-1 featured no detectable toxicity up to 100.0 mg/kg, which indicated a large therapeutic window. This study validates the effectiveness and usefulness of a medicinal chemistry polypharmacology approach to obtain an inhibitor capable of targeting multiple oncogenic pathways

A large variety of halogenated nitroarenes have been selectively reduced with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of Pd/C to give the corresponding (halogenated) anilines in good yield.

The use of kinase-directed precision medicine has been heavily pursued since the discovery and development of imatinib. Annually, it is estimated that around ∼20 000 new cases of tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) cancers are diagnosed, with the majority of cases exhibiting a TRK genomic rearrangement. In this Perspective, we discuss current development and clinical applications for TRK precision medicine by providing the following: (1) the biological background and significance of the TRK kinase family, (2) a compilation of known TRK inhibitors and analysis of their cocrystal structures, (3) an overview of TRK clinical trials, and (4) future perspectives for drug discovery and development of TRK inhibitors.