1. Academic Validation
  2. Discovery of OICR12694: A Novel, Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable BCL6 BTB Inhibitor

Discovery of OICR12694: A Novel, Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable BCL6 BTB Inhibitor

  • ACS Med Chem Lett. 2023 Jan 12;14(2):199-210. doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.2c00502.
Ahmed Mamai 1 Anh M Chau 1 Brian J Wilson 1 Iain D Watson 1 Babu B Joseph 1 Pandiaraju R Subramanian 1 Monzur M Morshed 1 Justin A Morin 1 Michael A Prakesch 1 Tianbao Lu 2 Pete Connolly 2 Douglas A Kuntz 3 Neil C Pomroy 3 Gennady Poda 1 4 Kong Nguyen 1 Richard Marcellus 1 Graig Strathdee 1 Brigitte Theriault 1 Ratheesh Subramaniam 1 Mohammed Mohammed 1 Ayome Abibi 1 Manuel Chan 1 Jeffrey Winston 1 Taira Kiyota 1 Elijus Undzys 1 Ahmed Aman 1 4 Nigel Austin 2 Marc Du Jardin 2 Kathryn Packman 2 Ulrike Phillippar 5 Riccardo Attar 2 James Edwards 2 Jeff O'Meara 1 David E Uehling 1 Rima Al-Awar 1 6 7 Gilbert G Privé 3 8 9 Methvin B Isaac 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Drug Discovery Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, 661 University Avenue, Suite 510, Toronto, OntarioM5G 0A3, Canada.
  • 2 Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania19477, United States.
  • 3 Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, OntarioM5G 2C1, Canada.
  • 4 Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, OntarioM5S 3M2, Canada.
  • 5 Janssen Research & Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, B-2340Beerse, Belgium.
  • 6 Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, OntarioM5S 3H6, Canada.
  • 7 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, OntarioM5S 1A8, Canada.
  • 8 Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, OntarioM5G 1L7, Canada.
  • 9 Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, OntarioM5S 1A8, Canada.
Abstract

B cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6), a highly regulated transcriptional repressor, is deregulated in several forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), most notably in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The activities of BCL6 are dependent on protein-protein interactions with transcriptional co-repressors. To find new therapeutic interventions addressing the needs of patients with DLBCL, we initiated a program to identify BCL6 inhibitors that interfere with co-repressor binding. A virtual screen hit with binding activity in the high micromolar range was optimized by structure-guided methods, resulting in a novel and highly potent inhibitor series. Further optimization resulted in the lead candidate 58 (OICR12694/JNJ-65234637), a BCL6 Inhibitor with low nanomolar DLBCL cell growth inhibition and an excellent oral pharmacokinetic profile. Based on its overall favorable preclinical profile, OICR12694 is a highly potent, orally bioavailable candidate for testing BCL6 inhibition in DLBCL and other neoplasms, particularly in combination with other therapies.

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