10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.11.046
The research explores the development of new ALK inhibitors to address resistance issues in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The study focuses on modifying ceritinib by replacing its piperidine fragment with diverse aliphatic amines to improve its efficacy against crizotinib-resistant mutants, particularly the highly resistant G1202R mutant. The researchers synthesized and evaluated a series of compounds, with compound 10 (KRCA-764) showing promising activities against both wild-type ALK and crizotinib-resistant mutants, including G1202R, with an IC50 of 1.8 nM. This compound also exhibited better pharmacokinetic profiles than ceritinib. Key chemicals involved in the synthesis included 4-methyl-2-nitroanisole, phenylthioacetonitrile, sodium hydroxide, Pd/C, and various amines. The study utilized enzymatic and cell-based assays to evaluate the inhibitory activities of the synthesized compounds, and molecular docking studies were performed to understand the binding modes. In vivo xenograft studies in mice demonstrated that compound 10 had similar potency to ceritinib, suggesting further optimization could lead to clinical candidates capable of overcoming ALK mutant resistance.