Oligomers that adopt predictable conformations ("foldamers") are subjects of increasing interest from the perspectives of both fundamental research and applications.[1] The study of unnatural oligomers that display secondary structures analogous to those of proteins or nucleic acids provides new insight on the parameters that influence the "foldability" of a backbone, e.g., the relationships between conformational stability and number of residues or residue flexibility. As the rules that govern shape are elucidated for new backbones, this

Oligomers that adopt predictable conformations ("foldamers") are subjects of increasing interest from the perspectives of both fundamental research and applications.[1] The study of unnatural oligomers that display secondary structures analogous to those of proteins or nucleic acids provides new insight on the parameters that influence the "foldability" of a backbone, e.g., the relationships between conformational stability and number of residues or residue flexibility. As the rules that govern shape are elucidated for new backbones, this

The extra hepatic delivery of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) remains a challenge and hampers the widespread application of this powerful class of therapeutic agents. In that regard, pancreatic beta cells are a particularly attractive but challenging cell type because of their pivotal role in diabetes and the fact that they are refractory to uptake of unconjugated ASOs. To circumvent this, we have expanded our understanding of the structure activity relationship of ASOs conjugated to Glucagon Like Peptide 1 Receptor (GLP1R) agonist peptide ligands. We demonstrate the key role of the linker chemistry and its optimization to design maleimide based conjugates with improved in vivo efficacy. In addition, truncation studies and scoping of a diverse set of GLP1R agonists proved fruitful to identify additional targeting ligands efficacious in vivo including native hGLP1(7−36)NH 2 . Variation of the carrier peptide also shed some light on the dramatic impact of subtle sequence differences on the corresponding ASO conjugate performance in vivo, an area which clearly warrant further investigations. We have confirmed the remarkable potential of GLP1R agonist conjugation for the delivery of ASOs to pancreatic beta cell by effectively knocking down islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) mRNA, a potential proapoptotic target, in mice.

The mechanism-based risk for hyperkalemia has limited the use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) like eplerenone in cardio-renal diseases. Here, we describe the structure and property-driven lead generation and optimization, which resulted in identification of MR modulators (S)-1 and (S)-33. Both compounds were partial MRAs but still demonstrated equally efficacious organ protection as eplerenone after 4 weeks of treatment in uni-nephrectomized rats on high-salt diet and aldosterone infusion. Importantly, and in sharp contrast to eplerenone, this was achieved without substantial changes to the urine Na + /K + ratio after acute treatment in rat, which predicts a reduced risk for hyperkalemia. This work led to selection of (S)-1 (AZD9977) as the clinical candidate for treating MR-mediated cardio-renal diseases, including chronic kidney disease and heart failure. On the basis of our findings, we propose an empirical model for prediction of compounds with low risk of affecting the urinary Na + /K + ratio in vivo.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is a novel tool for the investigation of chemical reactions in solution and for the direct detection and identification of reactive intermediates. The tributyltin hydride mediated addition of tert-butyl iodide to dimethyl 2-cyclohexyl-4-methyleneglutarate (2) in the presence of Lewis acids was investigated by ESI-MS using a microreactor coupled on-line to an ESI mass spectrometer. For the first time we have been able to show that transient radicals in radical chain reactions can be detected unambiguously under steady-state conditions in the reaction solution and can be characterized by ESI-MS/MS and accurate mass determination. The detection of different heterodimer radical complexes by ESI-MS/MS has provided new insights into the mechanism of Lewis acid controlled radical chain reactions. Dimeric chelate complexes of glutarates, such as 2 and 3, and Lewis acids, like Sc(OTf)3, MgBr2OEt2 and LiClO4, were observed as well as higher aggregates with additional equivalents of Lewis acid. Evidence for a dynamic equilibrium of the complexes in solution was found by NMR spectroscopy. The ESI-MS investigation of the chelation of glutarate 2 with various Lewis acids has led to the conclusion that the tendency for Lewis acids to form dimeric chelate complexes and higher aggregates has an important effect on the stereoselective outcome of the radical reactions.

Tin hydride-mediated radical additions to a series of α-methylene-glutarates 1, furnishing 2,4-dialkyl-substituted glutarates 3 are reported. The diastereoselectivity of hydrogen transfer to the intermediate adduct radicals 2, possessing a stereogenic center in γ-position, was disappointing in the temperature range of −78 to 80 °C. However, the reactions proved to be able to proceed with excellent 1,3-diastereoselectivities under chelation-controlled conditions, depending on the steric impacts of 2- and 4-alkyl substituents as well as on the ester−alkyl moiety and choice of Lewis acid. Using MgBr2·OEt2 as additive, syn-selectivities of 98:2 were achieved upon initial tert-butyl radical addition at −78 °C. High anti-diastereoselectivities were observed in the MgBr2·OEt2-controlled pathway at 70 °C when smaller alkyl radicals such as cyclohexyl, ethyl, and methyl were applied. Interesting and uncommon temperature dependences were observed in the temperature range of −78 to 100 °C, revealing strong entropic effects in the transition states. A model that accounts for the opposed stereochemical outcomes under chelation-controlled conditions is presented.

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