No abstract

KRASG12C has emerged as a promising target in the treatment of solid tumors. Covalent inhibitors targeting the mutant cysteine-12 residue have been shown to disrupt signaling by this long-“undruggable” target; however clinically viable inhibitors have yet to be identified. Here, we report efforts to exploit a cryptic pocket (H95/Y96/Q99) we identified in KRASG12C to identify inhibitors suitable for clinical development. Structure-based design efforts leading to the identification of a novel quinazolinone scaffold are described, along with optimization efforts that overcame a configurational stability issue arising from restricted rotation about an axially chiral biaryl bond. Biopharmaceutical optimization of the resulting leads culminated in the identification of AMG 510, a highly potent, selective, and well-tolerated KRASG12C inhibitor currently in phase I clinical trials (NCT03600883).

Success in the design of targeted covalent inhibitors depends in part on a knowledge of the factors influencing electrophile reactivity. In an effort to further develop an understanding of structure-reactivity relationships among N-arylacrylamides, we determined glutathione (GSH) reaction rates for a family of N-arylacrylamides independently substituted at ortho-, meta-, and para-positions with 11 different groups common to inhibitor design. We find that substituent effects on reaction rates show a linear Hammett correlation for ortho-, meta-, and para-substitution. In addition, we note a correlation between (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shifts of the acrylamide with GSH reaction rates, suggesting that NMR chemical shifts may be a convenient surrogate measure of relative acrylamide reactivity. Density functional theory calculations reveal a correlation between computed activation parameters and experimentally determined reaction rates, validating the use of such methodology for the screening of synthetic candidates in a prospective fashion.

Gas-phase ozone-alkene reactions are known to produce the hydroxyl radical (OH) in high yields. Most mechanistic studies to date have focused on the role of syn carbonyl oxides; however, OH production from ethene ozonolysis indicates a second, poorly understood OH-forming channel, which may contribute to OH production in the ozonolysis of substituted alkenes as well. Using laser-induced fluorescence, we have measured OH and OD yields from the ozonolysis of two partially deuterated alkenes, cis- and trans-3-hexene-3,4-d2. OD is formed from both alkenes, indicating a pathway of hydroxyl-radical formation involving vinylic hydrogens, accounting for one-third of total OH formation from cis-3-hexene. The lack of a significant kinetic isotope effect suggests this pathway is the "hot acid" channel, arising from rearrangement of anti carbonyl oxides. Measured yields also allow for the estimation of syn:anti carbonyl oxide ratios, approximately 50:50 for trans-3-hexene and approximately 20:80 for cis-3-hexene, qualitatively consistent with our understanding of ozonide decomposition pathways.