Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 7, Issue 14, 2007

Human kinome contains 518 members. Over 150 protein kinases are associated with various diseases including cancer. Protein kinase drug discovery now is a hot area in the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, it is estimated that approximately 1/4-1/3 of drug discovery programs target protein kinases. However, identification of highly selective small-molecule inhibitors with suitable PK properties for a protein kinase targ Read More

This article reviews several important observations in the field of protein kinase drug discovery, exemplified mainly by targeting c-Abl for the treatment of CML. Structure-based strategy and insight are provided for the optimization of the selectivity and resistant mutation profiles of protein kinase inhibitors.

Halogen bonds are short-range molecular interactions that are analogous to classical hydrogen bonds, except that a polarized halogen replaces the hydrogen as the acid in the Lewis acid/base pair. Such interactions occur regularly in the structures of many ligand-protein complexes, but have only recently been recognized in biological systems as a distinct class with well-defined physical characteristics. In this review, we survey Read More

This article describes recent advances in the development and biological evaluation of small molecule inhibitors for the serine/threonine kinase Akt (PKB). Akt plays a pivotal role in cell survival and proliferation through a number of downstream effectors. Recent studies indicate that unregulated activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway is a prominent feature of many human cancers and Akt is over-expressed or activated in all major ca Read More

The RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway has been a major clinical focus in oncology research in recent years. A clearer association of B-RAF mutations to cancers such as melanoma, papillary thyroid cancer and others has brought an increasing interest in chemotherapeutics that target this cellular signaling pathway. In this review, the authors summarize the current understanding of science and therapeutic use of the M Read More

Vascular angiogenesis has been shown to play a key role in many solid tumors. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoforms and their tyrosine kinase receptors (VEGFRs) have been under intense research for effective anticancer drug candidates. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) provide another pathway critical in monitoring angiogenesis. VEGF exerts its effect through binding to tyrosine kinase Read More

Multiple conformations of a protein kinase target offer an opportunity to design small-molecule inhibitors with distinct but clinically useful profiles. This article analyzes and classifies the binding pockets in the kinase catalytic cleft in different conformational states. Targeting kinase multiple conformations as an emerging strategy in the field is exemplified with important small-molecule agents in the clinic. The structure-base Read More

This manuscript describes a comparison of the physicochemical properties of marketed oral drugs with those of 45 structurally confirmed orally bioavailable anti-cancer protein kinase inhibitors currently in different phases of clinical development. It is evident from the data presented that these kinase inhibitors are on average larger (over 110Da), more lipophilic (over 1.5 log units) and more complex (approximately two m Read More

An Illicit Reduction. The passage of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 and the declaration of November 30th, 2006 as “National Methamphetamine Awareness Day” by the US Drug Enforcement Administration represent a bit more public attention than usual for a Schedule II sympathomimetic amine approved in the US for the treatment of narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder. Even pseudoephedrine, a de Read More