Definitive Metabolite Identification Coupled with Automated Ligand Identification System (ALIS) Technology: A Novel Approach to Uncover Structure–Activity Relationships and Guide Drug Design in a Factor IXa Inhibitor Program

A potent and selective Factor IXa (FIXa) inhibitor was subjected to a series of liver microsomal incubations, which generated a number of metabolites. Using automated ligand identification system-affinity selection (ALIS-AS) methodology, metabolites in the incubation mixture were prioritized by their binding affinities to the FIXa protein. Microgram quantities of the metabolites of interest were then isolated through microisolation analytical capabilities, and structurally characterized using MicroCryoProbe heteronuclear 2D NMR techniques. The isolated metabolites recovered from the NMR experiments were then submitted directly to an <i>in vitro</i> FIXa enzymatic assay. The order of the metabolites’ binding affinity to the Factor IXa protein from the ALIS assay was completely consistent with the enzymatic assay results. This work showcases an innovative and efficient approach to uncover structure–activity relationships (SARs) and guide drug design via microisolation–structural characterization and ALIS capabilities

Definitive Metabolite Identification Coupled with Automated Ligand Identification System (ALIS) Technology: A Novel Approach to Uncover Structure–Activity Relationships and Guide Drug Design in a Factor IXa Inhibitor Program

A potent and selective Factor IXa (FIXa) inhibitor was subjected to a series of liver microsomal incubations, which generated a number of metabolites. Using automated ligand identification system-affinity selection (ALIS-AS) methodology, metabolites in the incubation mixture were prioritized by their binding affinities to the FIXa protein. Microgram quantities of the metabolites of interest were then isolated through microisolation analytical capabilities, and structurally characterized using MicroCryoProbe heteronuclear 2D NMR techniques. The isolated metabolites recovered from the NMR experiments were then submitted directly to an <i>in vitro</i> FIXa enzymatic assay. The order of the metabolites’ binding affinity to the Factor IXa protein from the ALIS assay was completely consistent with the enzymatic assay results. This work showcases an innovative and efficient approach to uncover structure–activity relationships (SARs) and guide drug design via microisolation–structural characterization and ALIS capabilities

Discovery of Orally Active Inhibitors of Brahma Homolog (BRM)/SMARCA2 ATPase Activity for the Treatment of Brahma Related Gene 1 (BRG1)/SMARCA4-Mutant Cancers

SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily A member 2 (SMARCA2), also known as Brahma homologue (BRM), is a Snf2-family DNA-dependent ATPase. BRM and its close homologue Brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1), also known as SMARCA4, are mutually exclusive ATPases of the large ATP-dependent SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes involved in transcriptional regulation of gene expression. No small molecules have been reported that modulate SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling activity via inhibition of its ATPase activity, an important goal given the well-established dependence of BRG1-deficient cancers on BRM. Here, we describe allosteric dual BRM and BRG1 inhibitors that downregulate BRM-dependent gene expression and show antiproliferative activity in a BRG1-mutant-lung-tumor xenograft model upon oral administration. These compounds represent useful tools for understanding the functions of BRM in BRG1-loss-of-function settings and should enable probing the role of SWI/SNF functions more broadly in different cancer contexts and those of other diseases