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Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) affects millions of people across the world, largely in developing nations. It is fatal if left untreated and the current treatments are inadequate. As such, there is an urgent need for new, improved medicines. In this paper, we describe the identification of a 6-amino-N-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine scaffold and its optimization to give compounds which showed efficacy when orally dosed in a mouse model of VL.

Chagas’ disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects 8–10 million people across the Latin American population and is responsible for around 12,500 deaths per annum. The current frontline treatments, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are associated with side effects and lack efficacy in the chronic stage of the disease, leading to an urgent need for new treatments. A high throughput screening campaign against the physiologically relevant intracellular form of the parasite identified a series of 2,4-diamino-6-methylpyrimidines. Demonstrating the series did not work through the anti-target TcCYP51, and was generally cytocidal, confirmed its suitability for further development. This study reports the optimisation of selectivity and metabolic stability of the series and identification of a suitable lead for further optimisation.

During the course of our research on the lead optimisation of the NBTI (Novel Bacterial Type II Topoisomerase Inhibitors) class of antibacterials, we discovered a series of tricyclic compounds that showed good Gram-positive and Gram-negative potency. Herein we will discuss the various subunits that were investigated in this series and report advanced studies on compound 1 (GSK945237) which demonstrates good PK and in vivo efficacy properties.

The asymmetric synthesis of the key pyrrolidinone core, including a highly elaborated exocyclic carbon chain, of the γ-lactam β-lactone antibiotic oxazolomycin A is described. Principal features include the Birch reduction of an aromatic pyrrole nucleus, a late stage RuO(4) catalyzed pyrrolidine oxidation, and a highly diastereoselective organocerium addition to an aldehyde.

We have identified a series of amino-piperidine antibacterials with a good broad spectrum potency. We report the investigation of various subunits in this series and advanced studies on compound 8. Compound 8 possesses good pharmacokinetics, broad spectrum antibacterial activity and demonstrates oral efficacy in a rat lung infection model.

As part of our wider efforts to exploit novel mode of action antibacterials, we have discovered a series of cyclohexyl-amide compounds that has good Gram positive and Gram negative potency. The mechanism of action is via inhibition of bacterial topoisomerases II and IV. We have investigated various subunits in this series and report advanced studies on compound 7 which demonstrates good PK and in vivo efficacy properties.

This Letter describes the synthesis of complex aryl amides using palladium-catalysed amidation reactions. Use of these conditions allowed for the coupling of a variety of aryl halides and triflates with a host of primary amides in high yields.

The intramolecular hetero-Diels–Alder reaction of α,β-unsaturated oxime ethers as the diene with acetylenic dienophiles, readily prepared from salicylaldehyde derivatives, is described as a rapid and versatile route to [c]-annelated pyridines in modest to good yields.

The hetero-Diels–Alder reaction between 1-aza-3-siloxy-1,3-butadienes and electron deficient acetylenes is described. The reactivity of a range of α,β-unsaturated oximes and hydrazones is assessed in the synthesis of tri- and tetra-substituted pyridines bearing an oxygen functionality at C-3. Microwave irradiation has been employed to decrease the extended reaction times and increase the poor yields often associated with this reaction.

The use of (-)-sparteine as an external chiral ligand in enantioselective organolithium-induced alkylative double ring-opening of dihydropyrrole epoxides and 7-azanorbornene-type epoxides gives unsaturated acyclic amino alcohols, and amino cyclohexenols in up to 87% ee. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The alkylative double ring-opening of Bus-protected 2,5-dihydropyrrole epoxides 13 and 29 with organolithiums to give 3-substituted 1-aminobut-3-en-2-ols 13 – 19 and 30 – 32 are described. Bus-protected tetrahydropyridine epoxide 38 reacts with organolithiums to give 4-substituted 1-aminobut-4-en-3-ols 39 and tetrahydropyridinol 40 .

This Letter describes the synthesis of challenging pyridyl analogues of 3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-(benzothiazine or benzoxazine)-6-carbaldehydes. The six different routes described are high yielding, contain no major purification issues and have been used to give gram quantities of each aldehyde.

This Letter describes the synthetic routes to challenging pyridyl analogues of 2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-6-carbaldehyde which were key intermediates for our antibacterial medicinal chemistry programme. All routes described started from kojic acid ( 8 ) and have been used to give multigram quantities of each aldehyde.

This Letter describes the synthetic challenges in synthesising key 1,4- cis -substituted cyclohexylamide intermediate 1 for our research programme. Five different routes address the major issues of selectivity to afford the cis product in isomerically pure form and in high yield. Major purification issues were also encountered upon scaling some of the routes. The merits of the diverse routes are assessed and the reasoning given for which one was ultimately used for large-scale synthesis of 1 .

Quinolone antibacterials have been used to treat bacterial infections for over 40 years. A crystal structure of moxifloxacin in complex with Acinetobacter baumannii topoisomerase IV now shows the wedge-shaped quinolone stacking between base pairs at the DNA cleavage site and binding conserved residues in the DNA cleavage domain through chelation of a noncatalytic magnesium ion. This provides a molecular basis for the quinolone inhibition mechanism, resistance mutations and invariant quinolone antibacterial structural features.