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Virtual screening against a pCDK2/cyclin A crystal structure led to the identification of a potent and novel CDK2 inhibitor, which exhibited an unusual mode of interaction with the kinase binding motif. With the aid of X-ray crystallography and modelling, a medicinal chemistry strategy was implemented to probe the interactions seen in the crystal structure and to establish SAR. A fragment-based approach was also considered but a different, more conventional, binding mode was observed. Compound selectivity against GSK-3beta was improved using a rational design strategy, with crystallographic verification of the CDK2 binding mode.

Crystallographic and modelling data, in conjunction with a medicinal chemistry template-hopping approach, led to the identification of a series of novel and potent inhibitors of human cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), with selectivity over glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta). One example had a CDK2 IC(50) of 120 nM and showed selectivity over GSK-3beta of 167-fold.

The protein structure guided design of a series of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines with high potency for human cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) is described. Some examples were shown to inhibit the growth of human colon tumour cells, were equipotent for CDK1 and were selective against GSK-3beta and other kinases.

A series of phosphonoalkenyl and (phosphonoalkenyl)oxy derivatives of purines and a pyrimidine were synthesized. These compounds are the first reported acyclonucleotides which incorporate the alpha,beta-unsaturated phosphonic acid moiety as the phosphate mimic and include compounds in which the acyclic substituent is attached to N-9 of a purine or N-1 of a pyrimidine by either a nitrogen-carbon or a nitrogen-oxygen bond. The phosphonoalkenyl-substituted compounds 7a-c, 8a-c, 9, 10, and 12 were prepared either by Mitsunobu coupling of alcohols with purine or pyrimidine derivatives or by alternative alkylations of the heterocyclic bases. The (phosphonoalkenyl) oxy derivatives 7d-g, 8d-g, and 11 were synthesized by coupling of alcohols with 9-hydroxypurines or a 1-hydroxypyrimidine under Mitsunobu conditions. The novel acyclonucleotides were tested for activity against herpes simplex types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), varicella zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), visna virus, and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Guanine derivatives were moderately to extremely cytotoxic, but the adenines were less toxic to cells. At the concentrations tested, (Z)-isomers in the unbranched series had no activity against herpes viruses or HIV-1. (E)-9-[(4-Phosphonobut-3-enyl) oxy]adenine (7d) displayed selective activity against HIV-1, (E)-2,6-diamino-9-(4-phosphonobut-3-enyl) purine (9) showed selective antiretrovirus activity, and (E)-9-[2-(hydroxymethyl)-4-phosphonobut-3-enyl]adenine (7c) showed selective antiherpesvirus (VZV and CMV) activity.