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There is an urgent need for new treatments for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a parasitic infection which impacts heavily large areas of East Africa, Asia, and South America. We previously reported on the discovery of GSK3494245/DDD01305143 (1) as a preclinical candidate for VL and, herein, we report on the medicinal chemistry program that led to its identification. A hit from a phenotypic screen was optimized to give a compound with in vivo efficacy, which was hampered by poor solubility and genotoxicity. The work on the original scaffold failed to lead to developable compounds, so an extensive scaffold-hopping exercise involving medicinal chemistry design, in silico profiling, and subsequent synthesis was utilized, leading to the preclinical candidate. The compound was shown to act via proteasome inhibition, and we report on the modeling of different scaffolds into a cryo-EM structure and the impact this has on our understanding of the series' structure-activity relationships.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic infection that results in approximately 26 000–65 000 deaths annually. The available treatments are hampered by issues such as toxicity, variable efficacy...

Available treatments for Chagas' disease and visceral leishmaniasis are inadequate, and there is a pressing need for new therapeutics. Drug discovery efforts for both diseases principally rely upon phenotypic screening. However, the optimization of phenotypically active compounds is hindered by a lack of information regarding their molecular target(s). To combat this issue we initiate target deconvolution studies at an early stage. Here, we describe comprehensive genetic and biochemical studies to determine the targets of three unrelated phenotypically active compounds. All three structurally diverse compounds target the Qi active-site of cytochrome b, part of the cytochrome bc1 complex of the electron transport chain. Our studies go on to identify the Qi site as a promiscuous drug target in Leishmania donovani and Trypanosoma cruzi with a propensity to rapidly mutate. Strategies to rapidly identify compounds acting via this mechanism are discussed to ensure that drug discovery portfolios are not overwhelmed with inhibitors of a single target.

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.

In May 2019, the Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research (; W; CAIR) at the University of Dundee, UK, held an international conference with the aim of discussing some key questions around discovering new medicines for infectious diseases and a particular focus on diseases affecting Low and Middle Income Countries. There is an urgent need for new drugs to treat most infectious diseases. We were keen to see if there were lessons that we could learn across different disease areas and between the preclinical and clinical phases with the aim of exploring how we can improve and speed up the drug discovery, translational, and clinical development processes. We started with an introductory session on the current situation and then worked backward from clinical development to combination therapy, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies, drug discovery pathways, and new starting points and targets. This Viewpoint aims to capture some of the learnings.

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.

Chagas' disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is the most common cause of cardiac-related deaths in endemic regions of Latin America. There is an urgent need for new safer treatments because current standard therapeutic options, benznidazole and nifurtimox, have significant side effects and are only effective in the acute phase of the infection with limited efficacy in the chronic phase. Phenotypic high content screening against the intracellular parasite in infected VERO cells was used to identify a novel hit series of 5-amino-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxamides (ATC). Optimization of the ATC series gave improvements in potency, aqueous solubility, and metabolic stability, which combined to give significant improvements in oral exposure. Mitigation of a potential Ames and hERG liability ultimately led to two promising compounds, one of which demonstrated significant suppression of parasite burden in a mouse model of Chagas' disease.

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.

Visceral leishmaniasis causes considerable mortality and morbidity in many parts of the world. There is an urgent need for the development of new, effective treatments for this disease. Here we describe the development of an anti-leishmanial drug-like chemical series based on a pyrazolopyrimidine scaffold. The leading compound from this series (7, DDD853651/GSK3186899) is efficacious in a mouse model of visceral leishmaniasis, has suitable physicochemical, pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties for further development, and has been declared a preclinical candidate. Detailed mode-of-action studies indicate that compounds from this series act principally by inhibiting the parasite cdc-2-related kinase 12 (CRK12), thus defining a druggable target for visceral leishmaniasis.

Organolithium-induced ring-opening of aziridines of 2,5-dihydrofuran (5 and 8) and 1,4-dimethoxybut-2-ene (16, 17 and 23) gives 3-substituted 2-aminobut-3-en-1-ols 9–15 and amino ethers 18–20 and 24–26.

Enantioselective generation and intermolecular trapping of a lithium carbenoid occurs in the reaction of epoxides of 2,5-dihydrofuran, 2,5-dihydropyrrole, and oxa- and aza-bicyclo[n.2.1]alkenes (n = 2, 3) with organolithium compounds in the presence of external chiral ligands. This methodology leads to the synthesis of important unsaturated diol and amino alcohol functionality (see scheme; tertbutoxycarbonyl).

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.

Organolithium-induced alkylative ring opening of N-sulfonyl-protected aziridinyl ethers is described. The reactions were efficiently carried out with a variety of organolithiums, providing a promising new strategy to unsaturated amino alcohols and ethers. Cis- and trans-1,4-dimethoxybut-2-ene-derived aziridines were prepared, and their propensity to undergo organolithium- induced alkylative desymmetrization is detailed. Use of a single enantiomer of the latter aziridine provides a route to enantiopure unsaturated amino ethers.

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 .

The alkylative double ring-opening of Bus-protected 2,5-dihydropyrrole epoxide 11 with organolithiums to give 3-substituted 1-aminobut-3-en-2-ols 13-19 is described.

In connection with a programme concerning the antibacterial medicinal chemistry, different routes are presented for the synthesis of aldehydes (V), (VIII), (XI), and (XV) which allow the preparation of multi-gram quantities.

Six routes starting from commercially available kojic acid allow the preparation of pyridyl aldehydes (I)-(VI), which may be of interest as antibacterial drugs.

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.

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.