1. Academic Validation
  2. Discovery of Potent, Dual-Inhibitors of Diacylglycerol Kinases Alpha and Zeta Guided by Phenotypic Optimization

Discovery of Potent, Dual-Inhibitors of Diacylglycerol Kinases Alpha and Zeta Guided by Phenotypic Optimization

  • ACS Med Chem Lett. 2023 Jun 12;14(7):929-935. doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00063.
Louis Chupak 1 Michael Wichroski 1 Xiaofan Zheng 1 Min Ding 1 Scott Martin 1 Christopher Allard 1 Jianliang Shi 2 Robert Gentles 1 Nicholas A Meanwell 2 Jie Fang 2 Daniel Tenney 2 John Tokarski 2 Carolyn Cao 2 Susan Wee 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Bristol Myers Squibb Research and Early Development, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States.
  • 2 Bristol Myers Squibb Research and Early Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-4000, United States.
Abstract

We describe a phenotypic screening and optimization strategy to discover compounds that block intracellular checkpoint signaling in T-cells. We identified dual DGKα and ζ inhibitors notwithstanding the modest similarity between α and ζ relative to other DGK isoforms. Optimized compounds produced cytokine release and T-cell proliferation consistent with DGK inhibition and potentiated an immune response in human and mouse T-cells. Additionally, lead inhibitor BMS-502 demonstrated dose-dependent immune stimulation in the mouse OT-1 model, setting the stage for a drug discovery program.

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