Autotaxin is a circulating enzyme with a major role in the production of lysophosphatic acid (LPA) species in blood. A role for the autotaxin/LPA axis has been suggested in many disease areas including pulmonary fibrosis. Structural modifications of the known autotaxin inhibitor lead compound 1, to attenuate hERG inhibition, remove CYP3A4 time-dependent inhibition, and improve pharmacokinetic properties, led to the identification of clinical candidate GLPG1690 (11). Compound 11 was able to cause a sustained reduction of LPA levels in plasma in vivo and was shown to be efficacious in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model in mice and in reducing extracellular matrix deposition in the lung while also reducing LPA 18:2 content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Compound 11 is currently being evaluated in an exploratory phase 2a study in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients.

GPR84 is a medium chain free fatty acid-binding G-protein-coupled receptor associated with inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. As the only reported antagonist of GPR84 (PBI-4050) that displays relatively low potency and selectivity, a clear need exists for an improved modulator. Structural optimization of GPR84 antagonist hit 1, identified through high-throughput screening, led to the identification of potent and selective GPR84 inhibitor GLPG1205 (36). Compared with the initial hit, 36 showed improved potency in a guanosine 5′-O-[γ-thio]­triphosphate assay, exhibited metabolic stability, and lacked activity against phosphodiesterase-4. This novel pharmacological tool allowed investigation of the therapeutic potential of GPR84 inhibition. At once-daily doses of 3 and 10 mg/kg, GLPG1205 reduced disease activity index score and neutrophil infiltration in a mouse dextran sodium sulfate-induced chronic inflammatory bowel disease model, with efficacy similar to positive-control compound sulfasalazine. The drug discovery steps leading to GLPG1205 identification, currently under phase II clinical investigation, are described herein.

Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted enzyme playing a major role in the production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in blood through hydrolysis of lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC). The ATX-LPA signaling axis arouses a high interest in the drug discovery industry as it has been implicated in several diseases including cancer, fibrotic diseases, and inflammation, among others. An imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine series of ATX inhibitors was identified out of a high-throughput screening (HTS). A cocrystal structure with one of these compounds and ATX revealed a novel binding mode with occupancy of the hydrophobic pocket and channel of ATX but no interaction with zinc ions of the catalytic site. Exploration of the structure-activity relationship led to compounds displaying high activity in biochemical and plasma assays, exemplified by compound 40. Compound 40 was also able to decrease the plasma LPA levels upon oral administration to rats.

Several naphthalimides have been evaluated clinically as potential anticancer agents. UNBS3157, a naphthalimide that belongs to the same class as amonafide, was designed to avoid the specific activating metabolism that induces amonafide's hematotoxicity. The current study shows that UNBS3157 rapidly and irreversibly hydrolyzes to UNBS5162 without generating amonafide. In vivo UNBS5162 after repeat administration significantly increased survival in orthotopic human prostate cancer models. Results obtained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) using UNBS3157 and UNBS5162 against the NCI 60 cell line panel did not show a correlation with any other compound present in the NCI database, including amonafide, thereby suggesting a unique mechanism of action for these two novel naphthalimides. Affymetrix genome-wide microarray analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that in vitro exposure of PC-3 cells to UNBS5162 (1 microM for 5 successive days) dramatically decreased the expression of the proangiogenic CXCL chemokines. Histopathology additionally revealed antiangiogenic properties in vivo for UNBS5162 in the orthotopic PC-3 model. In conclusion, the present study reveals UNBS5162 to be a pan-antagonist of CXCL chemokine expression, with the compound displaying antitumor effects in experimental models of human refractory prostate cancer when administered alone and found to enhance the activity of taxol when coadministered with the taxoid.

There are currently no approved disease-modifying osteoarthritis (OA) drugs (DMOADs). The aggrecanase ADAMTS-5 is key in the degradation of human aggrecan (AGC), a component of cartilage. Therefore, ADAMTS-5 is a promising target for the identification of DMOADs. We describe the discovery of GLPG1972/S201086, a potent and selective ADAMTS-5 inhibitor obtained by optimization of a promising hydantoin series following an HTS. Biochemical activity against rat and human ADAMTS-5 was assessed via a fluorescence-based assay. ADAMTS-5 inhibitory activity was confirmed with human aggrecan using an AGC ELISA. The most promising compounds were selected based on reduction of glycosaminoglycan release after interleukin-1 stimulation in mouse cartilage explants and led to the discovery of GLPG1972/S201086. The anticatabolic activity was confirmed in mouse cartilage explants (IC50 < 1.5 μM). The cocrystal structure of GLPG1972/S201086 with human recombinant ADAMTS-5 is discussed. GLPG1972/S201086 has been investigated in a phase 2 clinical study in patients with knee OA (NCT03595618).