Purpose: No antiangiogenic treatment is yet approved for extrapancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET). Surufatinib (HMPL-012, previously named sulfatinib) is a small-molecule inhibitor targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 and colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor. We conducted a single-arm phase Ib/II study of surufatinib in advanced NETs.Patients and Methods: Patients with histologically welldifferentiated, low or intermittent grade, inoperable or metastatic NETs were enrolled into a pancreatic or extrapancreatic NET cohort. Patients were treated with surufatinib 300 mg orally, once daily. The primary endpoints were safety and objective response rate (ORR) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.1).Results: Of the 81 patients enrolled, 42 had pancreatic NETs and 39 had extrapancreatic NETs. Most patients had radiologic progression within 1 year prior to enrollment (32 patients in each cohort). In the pancreatic and extrapancreatic NET cohorts, ORRs were 19% [95% confidence intervals (CI), 9-34] and 15% (95% CI, 6-31), disease control rates were 91% (95% CI, 77-97) and 92% (95% CI, 79-98), and median progression-free survival was 21.2 months (95% CI, 15.9-24.8) and 13.4 months (95% CI, 7.6-19.3), respectively. The most common grade !3 treatment-related adverse events were hypertension (33%), proteinuria (12%), hyperuricemia (10%), hypertriglyceridemia, and diarrhea (6% for each), and increased alanine aminotransferase (5%).Conclusions: Surufatinib showed encouraging antitumor activity and manageable toxicities in patients with advanced NETs. Two ongoing phase III studies, validating the efficacy of surufatinib in patients with NETs, will contribute to the clinical evidence.

Purpose: Aberrant activation of MET (hepatocyte growth factor receptor) signaling is implicated in the tumorigenesis of human cancers. This phase I study assessed the safety, tolerability, and MTD of the potent and selective MET inhibitor, savolitinib (AZD6094, HMPL-504, volitinib). Patients and Methods: This open-label, multicenter doseescalation and-expansion study evaluated oral savolitinib for patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. A 3 þ 3 design assessed repeated daily (QD) and twice daily (BID) dosing schedules. The dose-expansion phase included 12 patients. Primary objectives were to evaluate the safety, tolerability, MTD, and dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) of savolitinib. Secondary and exploratory objectives included pharmacokinetics, biomarker research, and antitumor activity. Results: Overall, 48 patients were enrolled. Four patients had DLTs following QD savolitinib (600 mg N ¼ 1, 800 mg N ¼ 1, and 1,000 mg N ¼ 2); the MTD was 800 mg QD and not reached for BID dosing. The recommended phase II dose (RP2D) was 600 mg QD. The most frequent adverse events were nausea (30 patients, 63%), vomiting (20 patients, 42%), fatigue (20 patients, 42%), and peripheral edema (15 patients, 31%). At 600 mg QD, C max was 2,414.8 ng/mL, AUC was 17053.9 hÁng/mL, and there was no apparent drug accumulation. Three patients with papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) and MET aberrations had partial responses with durations from 39 to 147 weeks. Conclusions: The tolerability profile of savolitinib was acceptable and the RP2D was established as 600 mg QD. Preliminary antitumor activity was demonstrated supporting further study in patients with PRCC.

Metal-catalyzed, double Claisen rearrangement of a bis-allyloxyflavone has been utilized to enable a concise synthesis of the hydrobenzofuro[3,2-b]chromenone core structure of the natural products sanggenon A and sanggenol F. In addition, catalytic, enantioselective [4+2] cycloadditions of 2′-hydroxychalcones have been accomplished using B(OPh)3/BINOL complexes. Asymmetric syntheses of the flavonoid Diels–Alder natural products sanggenons C and O have been achieved employing a stereodivergent reaction of a racemic mixture (stereodivergent RRM) involving [4+2] cycloaddition.

A novel one-pot aerobic oxidation/Knoevenagel condensation reaction system was developed employing a Cu(ii)/amine bifunctional, basic metal-organic framework (MOF) as the catalyst. The sequential aerobic alcohol oxidation/Knoevenagel condensation reaction was efficiently promoted by the Cu3TATAT MOF catalyst in the absence of basic additives. The benzylidenemalononitrile product was produced in high yield and selectivity from an inexpensive benzyl alcohol starting material under an oxygen atmosphere. The role of the basic functionality was studied to demonstrate its role in the aerobic oxidation and Knoevenagel condensation reactions. The reaction progress was monitored in order to identify the reaction intermediate and follow the accumulation of the desired product. Lastly, results showed that the yield was not significantly compromised by the reuse of a batch of catalyst, even after more than five cycles.

An ultra-stable PHOS-100(Hf) is reported as an ideal MOF platform for proton conductivity test loading with various guest molecules/ions, as it has excellent chemical and thermal stability.