Cyclin D proteins are elevated in many cancer cells and targeted deletion of Cyclin D1 gene in the mammary tissues protects mice from breast cancer. Accordingly, there is an increasing awareness of this novel non-enzymatic target for cancer therapeutics. We have developed novel, non-alkylating styryl benzyl sulfones that induce cell death in wide variety of cancer cells without affecting the proliferation and survival of normal cells. The development of derivatized Styryl Benzyl Sulfones followed logically from a tumor cell cytotoxicity screen performed in our laboratory that did not have an a priori target profile. Modifications of some of the precursor molecules led to lead optimization with regard to tumor cell cytotoxicity. In this report we describe the synthesis and structure-activity relationships of novel, non-alkylating (E) styryl benzyl sulfones, and the development of the novel anti-cancer agent sodium (E)-2-{2-methoxy-5-[(2′,4′,6′-trimethoxystyrylsulfonyl)methyl]phenylamino}-acetate (ON 01910.Na), which is in Phase III trials for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with aberrant expression of cyclin D proteins.

The success of imatinib, a BCR-ABL inhibitor for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia, has created a great impetus for the development of additional kinase inhibitors as therapeutic agents. However, the complexity of cancer has led to recent interest in polypharmacological approaches for developing multi kinase inhibitors with low toxicity profiles. With this goal in mind, we analyzed more than 150 novel cyano pyridopyrimidine compounds and identified structure activity relationship trends that can be exploited in the design of potent kinase inhibitors. One compound, 8-Cyclopentyl-2-[4-(4-methyl-piperazin-1-yl)-phenylamino]-7-oxo-7,8-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carbonitrile (7x) was found to be the most active, inducing apoptosis of tumor cells at a concentration of approximately 30–100nM. In vitro kinase profiling revealed that 7x is a multi-kinase inhibitor with potent inhibitory activity against the CDK4/CYCLIN D1 and ARK5 kinases. Here, we report the synthesis, structure activity relationship, kinase inhibitory profile, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo tumor regression studies by this lead compound.

Cell cycle progression is regulated by cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases, which are formed at specific stages of the cell cycle and regulate the G1/S and G2/M phase transitions, employing a series of "checkpoints" governed by phosphorylation of their substrates. Tumor development is associated with the loss of these checkpoint controls, and this provides an approach for the development of therapeutic agents that can specifically target tumor cells. Here, we describe the synthesis and SAR of a novel group of cytotoxic molecules that selectively induce growth arrest of normal cells in the G1 phase while inducing a mitotic arrest of tumor cells resulting in selective killing of tumor cell populations with little or no effect on normal cell viability. The broad spectrum of antitumor activity in vitro and xenograft models, lack of in vivo toxicity, and drug resistance suggest potential for use of these agents in cancer therapy.

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A BSTRACT : Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) was modified at the C terminus with a spacer and four amino acids to serve as a chelating moiety. The modified peptide, TP 3654, was labeled with Tc-99m and evaluated in normal volunteers, as well as in patients with a history of cancer. Renal clearance (67%) was the primary route of excretion, with approximately 20% of the radioactivity clearing through the hepatobiliary system. No adverse reaction was noted in any of the subjects and all, except one small, of the known lesions as seen by CT, MRI, Tc-99m-MIBI, or mammography were correctly identified within a few minutes of an i.v. injection of approximately 10 mCi of Tc-99m-TP 3654 (specific activity 11.3 ؋ 10 3 Ci/m mol). The scans were in concordance in nine patients. In the remaining two, one with a visible mass in the neck from high grade spindle cell sarcoma and the other with a palpable mass in a breast from ductal epithelial hyperplasia, were localized only with Tc-99m-TP 3654, but not with Tc-99m-MIBI. Both malignancies are known to express VIP receptors. The VIP analog promises to be a nontoxic and reliable agent for imaging cancers in humans that express VIP receptors.