In vitro and in vivo characterization of a novel, highly potent p53-MDM2 inhibitor

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.08.027

Small molecule inhibitors of the p53-MDM2 protein complex are under intense investigation in clinical trials as anti-cancer agents, including our first generation inhibitor NVP-CGM097. We recently described the rational design of a novel pyrazolopyrrolidinone core as a new lead structure and now we report on the synthesis and optimization of this to provide a highly potent lead compound. This new compound displayed excellent oral efficacy in our preclinical mechanistic in vivo model and marked a significant milestone towards the identification of our second generation clinical candidate NVP-HDM201.

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.08.027

Accepted Manuscript
In vitro and in vivo characterization of a novel, highly potent p53-MDM2 in-
hibitor
Andrea Vaupel, Philipp Holzer, Stephane Ferretti, Vito Guagnano, Joerg Kallen,
Robert Mah, Keiichi Masuya, Stephan Ruetz, Caroline Rynn, Achim
Schlapbach, Thérèse Stachyra, Stefan Stutz, Milen Todorov, Sébastien Jeay,
Pascal Furet
PII:
S0960-894X(18)30703-0
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.08.027
BMCL 26007
DOI:
Reference:
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
To appear in:
Received Date:
Revised Date:
Accepted Date:
28 June 2018
18 August 2018
24 August 2018
Please cite this article as: Vaupel, A., Holzer, P., Ferretti, S., Guagnano, V., Kallen, J., Mah, R., Masuya, K., Ruetz,
S., Rynn, C., Schlapbach, A., Stachyra, T., Stutz, S., Todorov, M., Jeay, S., Furet, P., In vitro and in vivo
characterization of a novel, highly potent p53-MDM2 inhibitor, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters (2018),
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.08.027
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In vitro and in vivo characterization of a novel, highly potent
p53-MDM2 inhibitor
Andrea Vaupel*, Philipp Holzer, Stephane Ferretti, Vito Guagnano, Joerg Kallen, Robert Mah, Keiichi
Masuyaa, Stephan Ruetz, Caroline Rynnb, Achim Schlapbach, Thérèse Stachyra, Stefan Stutz, Milen
Todorov , Sébastien Jeayc and Pascal Furet
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
a present address: Peptidream Inc.; Menguro Tokyo, Japan
bpresent address: Hoffmann-LaRoche; CH-4070, Basel, Switzerland
c present address: Idorsia Pharmaceuticals; CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
Abstract
Small molecule inhibitors of the p53-MDM2 protein complex are under intense investigation in clinical
trials as anti-cancer agents, including our first generation inhibitor NVP-CGM097. We recently described
the rational design of a novel pyrazolopyrrolidinone core as a new lead structure and now we report on
the synthesis and optimization of this to provide a highly potent lead compound. This new compound
displayed excellent oral efficacy in our preclinical mechanistic in vivo model and marked a significant
milestone towards the identification of our second generation clinical candidate NVP-HDM201.
Graphical abstract
Key words
HDM201; structure guided design; X-ray structure; MDM2-p53 protein-protein interaction (PPI)
inhibitors; pyrrolo[3,4-d]imidazol-4(1H)-ones

The p53 protein functions as a transcription factor capable of regulating a number of genes driving the
cell cycle and apoptosis. As such it acts as a tumor suppressor, helping to control cellular integrity and
prevent the proliferation of permanently damaged cells by initiating growth arrest or cell death.1 Under
non-stressed conditions these activities are tightly controlled through negative regulation by the MDM2
(also known as HDM2 as the human homolog) protein. MDM2 has a dual function by inhibiting p53
transcriptional activity and by mediating the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of p53. About 50% of
human cancers express wild type (wt) functional p53 protein and avoid its tumor suppressor function by
overexpression of MDM2. In many other tumors the protective role of p53 is abrogated by expression of
loss of function mutations. As a consequence, selective disruption of the p53-MDM2 interaction in
cancer cells expressing wt p53 could serve as a valuable therapeutic strategy to inhibit tumor growth.
The X-ray structure of the N-terminal domain of MDM2 bound to a 15-mer wt p53-derived peptide was
reported over 20 years ago and revealed three discrete sub-pockets in the binding site. These pockets
are occupied by three amino acid side chains from p53 (Phe 19, Trp 23, Leu 26)2 which are conserved
across species.3 This structural information paved the way for the discovery of several structurally
distinct small molecule inhibitors of this protein-protein interaction (PPI). Several of these progressed
into clinical trials for evaluation as treatments of hematological as well as solid tumors. The most
advanced agent, Indasanutlin, is currently being investigated in Phase III studies in combination with
Cytarabine.4
Shortly after the first publication of the X-ray structure of the p53/MDM2 complex our group initiated
work around p53-derived peptides to provide an initial insight into the key SAR for this PPI.5 We then
proceeded to develop a new, pocket-adapted scaffold approach for the de novo design of small molecule
MDM2 inhibitors, which we termed the central valine concept.6 This was based upon the observation
that the side chain of valine 93 of MDM2 occupied the central upper-part of the p53 binding pocket and
could serve as an ideal anchor point for a tight van der Waals interaction with an aromatic or hetero-
aromatic core of a ligand molecule. Such a core would provide appropriate exit vectors for substituents
to interact with the Phe19, Leu26 and Trp23 sub-pockets of the binding cavity. In utilizing this principle
we identified several generations of highly potent MDM2 ligands including the isoquinolinone series
from which we identified the clinical candidate NVP-CGM097. 7
In subsequent refinements of the central valine concept we described the design of a new, bicyclic
pyrazole-based ligand scaffold.8 As a continuation, we now report on the chemical synthesis and the
further optimization of this new MDM2 inhibitor class towards a highly potent lead compound displaying
excellent in vivo efficacy and pharmacokinetic properties in our preclinical SJSA1 tumor model upon oral
administration.

Figure 1: Chemical structure of NVP-CGM097 and scaffold permutations of compound 1. Antiproliferative
activities in SJSA1 cells is indicated by GI50 values and compound lipophilicty is indicated by calculated
LogP values
The starting point for this work is represented by the pyrazolo-pyrrolidinone compound 1. Compound 1 is
a highly potent inhibitor of the p53-MDM2 interaction in our biochemical TR-FRET assay (IC50: 0.13 nM)9
and a proliferation assay based on p53 wt SJSA1 cells (GI50: 90 nM).10 The X-ray structure of a close analog
of 1 complexed with MDM2 has been reported8 and confirmed our postulated binding mode. It
demonstrated that the bicyclic core unit indeed is in close van der Waals contact with the side-chain of
V93, while accepting an H-bond from the side chain of H96 via the lactam carbonyl. As expected, the
chloro-phenyl moieties occupy the Trp23 and Leu26 pockets and, in the latter, the phenyl ring engages in
a  stacking interaction with H96. In addition it confirmed the reason for the significant potency
increase observed in early SAR, when we attached a phenyl moiety on the lactam nitrogen, allowing the
ligand to occupy the extended Phe19 pocket. In particular an ortho-methoxy substitutuent in such a
phenyl ring further contributes to a favorable pre-organization of the ligand and topological fit within the
binding cavity. Despite the combination of high on-target potency and low molecular weight, compound
1 displayed some liabilities as a potential drug candidate. The high, cross species metabolic clearance
(Clint [mL/min mg] rat/human/mouse: 385/115/495), as determined by incubation with liver microsomes,
precluded its suitability as an in vivo tool compound for proof-of-concept studies of this new inhibitor
class. Therefore our first optimization cycle aimed to overcome this hurdle. Upon morphing the pyrazole
compound 1 to the pyrrole (compound 2) or the imidazole (compound 3), with the peripheral
substitution pattern being kept constant (Figure 1), we observed that such permutations were tolerated
with the intrinsic potency being retained. The imidazole core seemed to offer advantages in reducing
lipophilicity (clogP values) as compared to pyrazoles and pyrroles and hence we directed our focus for
optimization on the imidazole core unit.
Conducting a Metasite*11 analysis of compound 3 inferred that the methoxy-phenyl moiety filling the
Phe19 pocket was a major contributor to the high metabolic clearance, due to its susceptibility for
oxidative metabolism. In order to address this we sought to reduce electron density by adding
appropriate substituents to the aromatic core or by incorporating nitrogen atoms.
Thus, we prepared a series of compounds based on the imidazole scaffold with representative examples
shown in Table 1.
The general synthetic route employed to prepare these compounds is depicted in Scheme 1.12 Starting
with the condensation of commercially available ethyl 2-isocyanoacetate with N,N-dimethylformamide-
diethylacetal followed by reaction of the intermediate ethyl (Z)-3-(dimethylamino)-2-isocyanoacrylate
with isopropylamine in n-butanol at 70°C provided ethyl 1-isopropyl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxylate 4 in
good yield. 4 was directly subjected to bromination with NBS at room temperature to afford a mixture of
the desired ethyl 2-bromo-1-isopropyl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxylate 5 and its regioisomer, ethyl 5-bromo-
1-isopropyl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxylate, which was readily separated by flash chromatography on silica
gel. Lithiation at C-5 and quenching with 4-chloro-2-methylbenzaldehyde produced the alcohol 6, which
was converted to the corresponding mesylate and reacted with 5-chloro-2-methylaniline to provide

intermediate 7. The ester functionality of 7 was hydrolyzed to the acid and converted to the
corresponding acid chloride by treatment with Ghosez`s reagent (1-chloro-N,N-2-trimethyl-1-
propenylamine) leading to efficient ring-closure to produce the bicyclic lactam scaffold of intermediate 9.
The 2-bromo imidazole finally served as a template for Suzuki cross coupling reactions with commercially
available boronic acids to provide compounds 10-15.
Figure 2: Representative synthesis; conditions a) N,N-dimethylformamide-diethylacetal, EtOH, 0-25°C/4h;
75%; b) i-PrNH2, n-BuOH; 70°C/24h; 85%; c) NBS, THF, 16h/rt; 36%; d) n-BuLi, DIPA, 2-methyl-4-
chlorobenzaldehyde, THF, 1.5h, - 65°C to rt; 71%; e) i) Ms2O, Et3N, DCM; ii) 5-chloro-2-methylaniline; 78%;
f) 2M NaOH, THF/MeOH, 4h, rt; 88%; g) Ghosez`s reagent, DCM, 1h, 0°C; 88%; h) Pd(dppf)Cl2, K3PO4,
ArylB(OH)2, dioxane/H2O 4:1, 2h, 85°C; 84%; i) chiral separation; 41%. Representative yields are given for
the synthesis of compound 15a.
Selected racemic products of special interest were then subjected to chiral chromatography for further
profiling of the more active enantiomer.
Table 1. Comparison of selected properties of analogs of compound 3
compound
Structure
R
MDM2 IC50 TR-FRET GI50 SJSA1 cell (nM)
(nM)**
RLM Cl (mL/min mg)
385
T ½ (min)
3.6
3
0.074
64 **
S-enant
10
0.14
228 ± 25
460
3.3
rac

11
rac
0.17
0.26
0.22
0.26
0.16
276 ± 46
345 ± 41
186*
450
117
69
3.3
12
20
8
12
S-enant
13
rac
14
111 ± 20
26 ± 5
178
47
rac
15
30
rac
15 a
S-enant
15 b
0.08
13
11 ± 3
35
25
39
56
1001 ± 166
R-enant
*single determination; ** data is an average of more than two independent measurements; rac: racemic
mixture
The direct incorporation of fluorine atoms into the aromatic ring in an attempt to reduce oxidative
clearance is exemplified by racemic examples compounds 10 and 11. However, this modification did not
have a positive impact on in vitro RLM clearance, our primary reference parameter (Table 1). We probed
the effect of incorporating ring nitrogen atoms in combination with the 2-methoxy substituent in various
combinations, as exemplified with compounds 12, 13 and 14 and to our delight observed a positive trend
towards improved metabolic stability. The most favorable combination of reduced in vitro clearance and
significantly enhanced potency compared to our starting point was obtained with 2,4-dimethoxy
pyrimidine compound 15. Compound 15 was selected as a lead compound from that set for chiral
separation by reversed phase chromatography providing the more potent S-enantiomer 15a and the less
active R-enantiomer 15b. The S-enantiomer 15a displayed favorable in vitro properties with good
metabolic stability across species in liver microsomal incubations (Clint [mL/min mg] r/h/m/d/monkey:
35/72/36/35/20), half-lives (r/h/m/d/monkey: 39/17/39/40/81 min), as well as high passive permeability
in PAMPA assays (calc. FA: 99 %).
To investigate the potential activity of compound 15a in preclinical tumor models, we evaluated the anti-
proliferative activity of 15a against a panel of 405 cell lines from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia
(CCLE).13 Cell lines were partitioned into sensitive and insensitive groups based on compound anti-
proliferative effects (IC50). A waterfall plot of IC50 values for 15a showed a natural cut-off of 4 µM, which
was used to categorize cell lines (Figure 4). One hundred and three cell lines (25.4%) were categorized as

sensitive and 302 cell lines (74.6%) as insensitive. As expected, consistent with the expected mechanism
of action of compound 15a, most of the sensitive cell lines express wt p53 (96/103; 93.2%), strongly
suggesting that wt p53 status is a prerequisite for the anti-proliferative activity of 15a.
Figure 4: Waterfall plot showing IC50 values expressed in µM of compound 15a in cell viability assays. Data for wt p53 (p53WT
)
cells are in pink and for mutant p53 (p53MUT) cell lines in blue.
Co-crystallization experiments of racemic compound 15 with a truncated form of the human MDM2
protein confirmed that only the S-enantiomer formed stable complexes. The X-ray structure of the co-
crystal of 15a at 2.0 Å resolution (Figure 3) shows that the dihydropyrrolo-imidazole core binds MDM2 in
an identical mode to that observed for the dihydropyrrolo-pyrazole core (pdb code 5LN2). In particular,
the dihydropyrrolo-imidazole core of the compound makes van der Waals contacts with the central
MDM2 residue V93 and the pyrrolo-oxygen accepts an H-bond (3.1 Å) from the side-chain of H96. The
chloro-phenyl moieties occupy the Trp 23 and Leu 19 sub-pockets. In the Leu19 sub-pocket we once
more observed the π–π stacking interaction with H96. The 2-methyl in the Trp23 sub-pocket donates a
pseudo H-bond (3.0 Å) to the backbone-carbonyl of Leu54. The Phe19 sub-pocket is occupied by the 2,4-
dimethoxypyrimidine moiety, where the 4-methoxy group fits snugly into a small cavity located beneath
the backbone-carbonyl of Q72, as previously observed in the crystal structure of MDM2 in complex with
an analog of 1.7,8 The additional 2-methoxy-substituent present in compound 15 engages in favorable
van der Waals interactions with the side-chains of residues M62, Y67 and Q72 of the MDM2 protein. This
observation is consistent with the increased potency observed for 15 when compared to it des-methoxy
analog compound 14.

Figure 3. Crystal structure of MDM2 in complex with compound 15a (pdb code: 6GGN). The direct H-
bond is indicated with a dashed line. The MDM2 sub-pockets binding the p53 residues Leu 26, Trp 23 and
Phe 19 are labeled LEU, TRP and PHE respectively.
For in vivo characterization we performed low dose PK studies of compound 15a in male Sprague Dawley
rats. The compound was administered by both intravenous (i.v.) and oral (p.o.) routes. For i.v.
administration a dose of 1 mg/kg was given as a solution formulation (NMP/PEG 70:30), whereas the oral
dose of 3 mg/kg was applied as suspension (carboxymethylcellulose/ water/ Tween80, (0.5%/ 99%/
0.5%). The compound displayed a moderate total clearance of 50% of the rat hepatic blood flow (70
ml/min/kg) and a robust Cmax of 75 nM (d. n.) with a half life (T1/2) of 1.8 h and a good oral bioavailability
(F) of 67% (Table 2). Taken together the data indicated that 15a was suitable candidate for in vivo proof
of concept studies in our preclinical mechanistic human SJSA1-based xenograft model in
immunodeficient rats.
Table2: Pharmacokinetic data for compound 15a
T max (p.o.)
(h)
CL (i.v.)
T1/2 (i.v.) (h)
Vss (i.v.)
(l.kg-1)
AUC (i.v.)
(nM.h d.n.)
AUC (p.o.)
(nM.h d.n.)
Cmax (p.o.)
(nmol d.n.)
F (%)
(mL.min-1.kg-1)
(calculated)
32 ± 14
1.8 ± 0.2
4.4 ± 1.1
1080 ± 15
719 ± 165
75 ± 3
2 ± 0
67 ± 15
a intravenous (i.v.) dose provided as solution formulation in NMP/PEG (70/30) 1 mg/kg and 3 mg /kg p.o. as a suspension in
Tween 80 / CMC05/ water (0.5/0.5/99) 3 mg/kg; d.n. : dose normalized
For the evaluation of in vivo efficacy SJSA-1 tumor cells were injected subcutaneously into the right flank
of nude rats. 14 days after injection tumors had reached an average volume of 500 mm2. Treatment was
initiated by randomizing animals according to tumor size into a vehicle control group and three
treatment groups (n=6 for all groups), with compound 15a being administered orally at 1 mg, 3 mg or 5

mg/kg once daily (qd). The compound dose-dependently reduced tumor growth and was well tolerated
at all doses (Figure 5A). Tumor volume was reduced by 40% at 1 mg/kg and statistically significant tumor
regression was observed with 3 and 5 mg/kg doses (32% and 98% respectively) after 14 days of
treatment (Figure 5A). The total body weight increase of treated animals was comparable to that of
vehicle-treated animals (Figure 5B). The oral absorption of 15a was dose-dependent with the same
plasma profile at all three doses evaluated. The Cmax of 15a was reached after three hours and clearance
to very low levels was seen within 24h. In order to investigate the pharmacokinetics (PK) in relation to
representative pharmcodynamic (PD) markers for 15a, we focused on the total drug concentration in
plasma and analyzed upregulation of the mRNA expression of three p53 regulated target genes in tumor:
p21, PUMA and MDM2 (Figure 5C). The treatment of SJSA-1 tumor-bearing rats with 1 and 3 mg/kg of
15a showed a dose-dependent induction of the three p53 target genes in the tumor, reaching the
maximum effect (Emax) for p21, PUMA and MDM2 during 3 to 8 hours post-treatment. However, mRNA
induction remained relatively moderate for PUMA and MDM2 (Emax = 6- and 7-fold respectively), but
high for p21 (Emax = 14-fold). Overall the observed changes in PD for the 1 and 3 mg dosing groups
correlated well with the impact on tumor growth. Tumor PD analysis for the 5 mg dosing group was not
feasible due to the lack of tumor tissue after treatment.

Figure 5: In vivo efficacy of compound 15a: upper panel: left: A) impact on tumor volume (TVol); right: B) impact on mean
bodyweight change (BW) for each dosing cohort over time; lower panel: C) mRNA levels of PD markers determined by quality
reverse transcription PCR: p21 (green); MDM2 (blue); PUMA (red) and plasma exposure of drug substance (brown); left chart: 1
mg/timepoints post last dose; right chart: 3 mg/time points post last dose
Herein we have detailed the synthesis and biological activity of a novel MDM2 inhibitor. The new
scaffold was designed based upon our pocket-adapted scaffold approach by iteratively incorporating
sequential learning cycles from previous generations of inhibitors. This resulted in a highly optimized
core scaffold with optimal complementarity to the binding pocket topology as demonstrated in our X-ray
study. In this first optimization cycle our lead structure was elaborated to afford a tool compound, 15a,
suitable for in vivo proof of concept studies. Compound 15a was highly efficacious in our mechanistic
SJSA1 tumor model and well tolerated without impact on bodyweight after two weeks of continuous qd
administration. This data compares favorably with those obtained for our first clinical candidate NVP-
CGM0977, demonstrating the potential of the new lead series to provide superior clinical candidates.
The continuation of this optimization towards the second generation clinical development candidate
NVP-HDM20114 will be reported in a forthcoming publication.
References:
1. For recent reviews on the topic see: (a) Burgess, A.; Chia, K. M.; Haupt, D.; Thomas, D.; Haupt, Y.;
Lim, E. Frontiers in Oncology 2016, 6, article 7. (b) Zhao, Y.; Aguilar, A.; Bernard, D.; Wang, S. J. Med.
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M. Nature Rev. Cancer 2013, 13, 83. (g) Li, Q.; Lozano, G. Clin. Cancer Res. 2013, 19, 34.
2. To avoid confusion the one letter code is used to name the amino acid residues of MDM2
while the three letter code is used for those of p53.
3. Kussie, P. H.; Gorina, S.; Marechal, V.; Elenbaas, B.; Moreau, J.; Levine, A. J.; Pavletich, N.P. Science
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9. For a detailed description of the TR-FRET (Time Resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Tranfer)
biochemical assay used see:. Furet, P.; Guagnano, V.; Holzer, P.; Kallen, J.; Liao, L.; Mah, R.; Mao, L.;
Masuya, K.; Schlapbach, A.; Stutz, S.; Vaupel, A. PCT Int. Appl. WO 2013111105. In this assay the
donor fluorophore is MDM2 (amino acid residues 2-188) tagged with a C-terminal biotin moiety in
combination with a Europium labeled streptavidin. The acceptor fluorophore is a p53 derived
peptide (amino acid sequence 18-26 of p53: TFSDLWKLL) labeled with the fluorescent dye Cy5. For
reference, the p53-MDM2 inhibitor Nutlin-3a has an IC50 of 0.01 M in this assay.
10. Our cellular assay measures the ability of compounds to inhibit the proliferation of SJSA-1 cells.
These are p53 positive cancer cells in which the MDM2 gene is amplified. For control, inhibition of
the proliferation of the p53-null SAOS-2 cells is also measured. A detailed description of the cellular
SJSA-1 and SAOS-2 proliferation assays is given in: Furet, P.; Guagnano, V.; Holzer, P.; Kallen, J.; Liao,
L.; Mah, R.; Mao, L.; Masuya, K.; Schlapbach, A.; Stutz, S.; Vaupel, A. PCT Int. Appl. WO 2013111105.
Usually, at least two orders of magnitudes in potency are lost going from a biochemical to a cellular
setting. As the consequence of the p53-MDM2 auto-regulatory loop existing in cells, the
accumulation of p53 caused by the inhibitors triggers an increase of cellular MDM2 levels which
reduces inhibitor potency. See for example: Lahav G. In Cellular Oscillatory Mechanisms; Maroto, M.;
Monk, N. A. M., Eds; Landes Bioscience and Springer Science, 2008, pp 28-38. The fact that in cells,
the inhibitors compete with full length p53 instead of the truncated form used in the biochemical
assay is also likely to contribute to this loss of potency.
11. Trunzer, M.; Faller, B.; Zimmerlin, A. J. Med. Chem. 2009, 52, 329.
12. For detailed descriptions of experimental procedures and conditions refer to WO20131111105.
13. a) Barrentina, J.; Capongro, G.; Stransky, N.; Venkatesan, K.; Margolin, A. A.; Morresey, M.P.; Sellers,
W.; Schlegel, R.; Garraway, L. A. et. al. Nature 2012, 483, 603. b) McDonald III, E.R.; de Weck, A.;
Schlabach, M.R.; Billy, E.: Mavrakis, K.J.; Hoffman, G.R.; et al. Cell 2017, 170(3), 577.
14. a) Holzer, P.; Chene, P.; Ferretti, S. R.; Furet, P.; Gabriel, T.; Gruenenfelder, B.; Guagnano, V.;
Hofmann, F.; Kallen, J. Mah, R.; Masuya, K.; Ramos, R.; Ruetz, S.; Rynn, C.; Schlapbach, A;. Valat, T.-
M.; Stutz, S; Vaupel, A.; Jeay, S. (2016) Discovery of NVP-HDM201 - First disclosure of a Next-
Generation Mdm2 inhibitor with superior characteristics. In: Annual Meeting of the AACR, 16-21
April, New Orleans, LA, USA. b) Holzer, P.; Chene, P.; Ferretti, S. R.; Furet, P.; Gabriel, T.;

Gruenenfelder, B.; Guagnano, V.; Hofmann, F.; Kallen, J. Mah, R.; Masuya, K.; Ramos, R.; Ruetz, S.;
Rynn, C.; Schlapbach, A;. Valat, T.-M.; Stutz, S; Vaupel, A.; Jeay, S. (2016) Discovery of NVP-HDM201 –
Identification of a Next-Generation Mdm2 inhibitor with superior characteristics. In: Annual Meeting
of the ACS, 21-25 August, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Graphical abstract
Highlights




Novel rationally designed p53-MDM2 inhibitor scaffold
Structural proof of concept by x-ray crystallography
Optimization of metabolic stability
In vivo proof of concept with high efficacy