Dr Gary Newton
Group Leader: Medicinal Chemistry 3, Computational Biology and Chemogenomics
Biography
Dr Gary Newton joined the ICR in January 2020 as leader of Medicinal Chemistry Group 3 (previously overseen by Professor Rajesh Chopra). His group is involved in collaborative research with internal and external partners with the aim of discovering new cancer therapeutics.
His group has a keen interest in designing molecules to help understand the target biology as well as developing molecules suitable for clinical evaluation. Collaboration with structural biology plays an important role in the design of potent, selective molecules and helps to guide the tuning of physio-chemical properties required to develop a drug molecule.
As well as targeting traditional, reversible, orthosteric binders, Dr Newton's group are keen to investigate covalent and allosteric approaches as well as protein degraders in order to provide the most appropriate molecules to the probe the biology and help overcome resistant phenotypes.
Dr Newton studied chemistry at the University of Sheffield before completing his PhD on the asymmetric synthesis of tropane alkaloids with Professor Varinder Aggarwal.
Following his PhD, he joined OSI Pharmaceuticals in their oncology division, where he worked on a number targets including integrins and kinases, helping to generate molecules suitable for proof of concept and progression to the clinic.
In 2004, Dr Newton joined NCE Discovery, later Domainex, where he spent the next fifteen years helping to build up the medicinal chemistry group as well as leading multi-disciplinary groups across a number of therapeutic areas.
During his time at Domainex he worked in close collaboration with a number of academic and industrial partners, generating first-in-class pre-clinical candidate molecules against targets in asthma, inflammatory and cardiovascular disease.
Related pages
Types of Publications
Journal articles
Heart disease is a paramount cause of global death and disability. Although cardiomyocyte death plays a causal role and its suppression would be logical, no clinical counter-measures target the responsible intracellular pathways. Therapeutic progress has been hampered by lack of preclinical human validation. Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase-4 (MAP4K4) is activated in failing human hearts and relevant rodent models. Using human induced-pluripotent-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and MAP4K4 gene silencing, we demonstrate that death induced by oxidative stress requires MAP4K4. Consequently, we devised a small-molecule inhibitor, DMX-5804, that rescues cell survival, mitochondrial function, and calcium cycling in hiPSC-CMs. As proof of principle that drug discovery in hiPSC-CMs may predict efficacy in vivo, DMX-5804 reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice by more than 50%. We implicate MAP4K4 as a well-posed target toward suppressing human cardiac cell death and highlight the utility of hiPSC-CMs in drug discovery to enhance cardiomyocyte survival.
Group 1 allergens of house dust mites (HDM) are globally significant triggers of allergic disease. They are considered as initiator allergens because their protease activity enables the development of allergy to a spectrum of unrelated allergens from various sources. This initiator-perpetuator function identifies Group 1 HDM allergens as attractive drug design targets for the first small-molecule approach directed towards a non-human, root cause trigger of allergic disease. The purpose of this study was to: (i) identify exemplar inhibitors of these allergens using Der p 1 as a design template, and (ii) characterise the pharmacological profiles of these compounds using in vitro and in vivo models relevant to allergy. Potent inhibitors representing four different chemotypes and differentiated by mechanism of action were investigated. These compounds prevented the ab initio development of allergy to the full spectrum of HDM allergens and in established allergy they inhibited the recruitment of inflammatory cells and blunted acute allergic bronchoconstriction following aerosol challenge with the full HDM allergen repertoire. Collectively, the data obtained in these experiments demonstrate that the selective pharmacological targeting of Der p 1 achieves an attractive range of benefits against exposure to all HDM allergens, consistent with the initiator-perpetuator function of this allergen.
Diverse evidence from epidemiologic surveys and investigations into the molecular basis of allergenicity have revealed that a small cadre of "initiator" allergens promote the development of allergic diseases, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. Pre-eminent among these initiators are the group 1 allergens from house dust mites (HDM). In mites, group 1 allergens function as cysteine peptidase digestive enzymes to which humans are exposed by inhalation of HDM fecal pellets. Their protease nature confers the ability to activate high gain signaling mechanisms which promote innate immune responses, leading to the persistence of allergic sensitization. An important feature of this process is that the initiator drives responses both to itself and to unrelated allergens lacking these properties through a process of collateral priming. The clinical significance of group 1 HDM allergens in disease, their serodominance as allergens, and their IgE-independent bioactivities in innate immunity make these allergens interesting therapeutic targets in the design of new small-molecule interventions in allergic disease. The attraction of this new approach is that it offers a powerful, root-cause-level intervention from which beneficial effects can be anticipated by interference in a wide range of effector pathways associated with these complex diseases. This review addresses the general background to HDM allergens and the validation of group 1 as putative targets. We then discuss structure-based drug design of the first-in-class representatives of allergen delivery inhibitors aimed at neutralizing the proteolytic effects of HDM group 1 allergens, which are essential to the development and maintenance of allergic diseases.
Blocking the bioactivity of allergens is conceptually attractive as a small-molecule therapy for allergic diseases but has not been attempted previously. Group 1 allergens of house dust mites (HDM) are meaningful targets in this quest because they are globally prevalent and clinically important triggers of allergic asthma. Group 1 HDM allergens are cysteine peptidases whose proteolytic activity triggers essential steps in the allergy cascade. Using the HDM allergen Der p 1 as an archetype for structure-based drug discovery, we have identified a series of novel, reversible inhibitors. Potency and selectivity were manipulated by optimizing drug interactions with enzyme binding pockets, while variation of terminal groups conferred the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic attributes required for inhaled delivery. Studies in animals challenged with the gamut of HDM allergens showed an attenuation of allergic responses by targeting just a single component, namely, Der p 1. Our findings suggest that these inhibitors may be used as novel therapies for allergic asthma.
Existing therapies for allergic asthma are far from perfect: the global prevalence of disease increases despite them and they are poorly effective in dealing with the exacerbations that account for hospitalization and asthma deaths. Commercially, there are pressures on these existing medicines too--a growing threat from generics and reluctance by payers to reimburse for increasingly marginal improvements in medicines with precedented mechanisms. Experience shows that attempts to devise selective small-molecule interventions directed at the myriad of downstream effector pathways has not been a fertile ground for the development of effective new medicines. An alternative strategy, exploiting breakthroughs in understanding the molecular basis of allergenicity and the key role of innate immune mechanisms in asthma, is to direct new approaches to the disease triggers themselves: allergens. This raises interesting possibilities for anti-Lipinski drug design (extracellular nonhuman targets, inhaled delivery) and creates unprecedented pharmacological opportunities in the therapeutic area.
The C2-symmetric vinyl sulfoxide, trans-2-methylene-1,3-dithiolane 1,3-dioxide, was found to react with a range of 3-oxidopyridinium betaines (bearing different substituents on nitrogen) in high yield and with total diastereoselectivity. A 2.3:1 mixture of regioisomers was formed with all of the 3-oxidopyridinium betaines but the ratio was found to change over prolonged periods of time due to reversibility of the minor regioisomer. 3-Oxidopyridinium betaines bearing methyl substituents at either the 2- or 6-position were also tested in the cycloaddition process. Improved regioselectivity (8:1) and again high diastereoselectivity were observed with the betaine having an additional substituent at the 2-position, but with betaines having a substituent in the 6-position although high regioselectivity was observed (9.9:1), the major isomer was formed with low diastereoselectivity (5.5:4.4). The origin of the regio- and diastereo-selectivity with all the betaines is discussed. Finally, the C2-symmetric vinyl sulfoxide, trans-2-methylene-1,3-dithiolane 1,3-dioxide was reacted with an oxidopyrylium betaine in moderate yield. Good regioselectivity and moderate diastereoselectivity were observed.
Given the poor track record to date of animal models for creating cardioprotective drugs, human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) have been proposed as a therapeutically relevant human platform to guide target validation and cardiac drug development. Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase Kinase-4 (MAP4K4) is an "upstream" member of the MAPK superfamily that is implicated in human cardiac muscle cell death from oxidative stress, based on gene silencing and pharmacological inhibition in hPSC-CMs. A further role for MAP4K4 was proposed in heart muscle cell death triggered by cardiotoxic anti-cancer drugs, given its reported activation in failing human hearts with doxorubicin (DOX) cardiomyopathy, and its activation acutely by DOX in cultured cardiomyocytes. Here, we report successful protection from DOX in two independent hPSC-CM lines, using two potent, highly selective MAP4K4 inhibitors. The MAP4K4 inhibitors enhanced viability and reduced apoptosis at otherwise lethal concentrations of DOX, and preserved cardiomyocyte function, as measured by spontaneous calcium transients, at sub-maximal ones. Notably, in contrast, no intereference was seen in tumor cell killing, caspase activation, or mitochondrial membrane dissipation by DOX, in human cancer cell lines. Thus, MAP4K4 is a plausible, tractable, selective therapeutic target in DOX-induced human heart muscle cell death.
Reducing infarct size (IS) by interfering with mechanisms for cardiomyocyte death remains an elusive goal. DMX-5804, a selective inhibitor of the stress-activated kinase MAP4K4, suppresses cell death in mouse myocardial infarction (MI), human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs), and 3D human engineered heart tissue, whose fidelity to human biology is hoped to strengthen the route to clinical success. Here, DMX-10001, a soluble, rapidly cleaved pro-drug of DMX-5804, was developed for i.v. testing in large-mammal MI. Following pharmacodynamic studies, a randomized, blinded efficacy study was performed in swine subjected to LAD balloon occlusion (60 min) and reperfusion (24 h). Thirty-six animals were enrolled; 12 were excluded by pre-defined criteria, death before infusion, or technical issues. DMX-10001 was begun 20 min before reperfusion (30 min, 60 mg/kg/h; 23.5 h, 17 mg/kg/h). At all times tested, beginning 30 min after the start of infusion, DMX-5804 concentrations exceeded > fivefold the levels that rescued hPSC-CMs and reduced IS in mice after oral dosing with DMX-5804 itself. No significant reduction occurred in IS or no-reflow corrected for the area at ischemic risk, even though DMX-10001 reduced IS, expressed in grams or % of LV mass, by 27%. In summary, a rapidly cleaved pro-drug of DMX-5804 failed to reduce IS in large-mammal MI, despite exceeding the concentrations for proven success in both mice and hPSC-CMs.
ERAP1 is a zinc-dependent M1-aminopeptidase that trims lipophilic amino acids from the N-terminus of peptides. Owing to its importance in the processing of antigens and regulation of the adaptive immune response, dysregulation of the highly polymorphic ERAP1 has been implicated in autoimmune disease and cancer. To test this hypothesis and establish the role of ERAP1 in these disease areas, high affinity, cell permeable and selective chemical probes are essential. DG013A 1, is a phosphinic acid tripeptide mimetic inhibitor with reported low nanomolar affinity for ERAP1. However, this chemotype is a privileged structure for binding to various metal-dependent peptidases and contains a highly charged phosphinic acid moiety, so it was unclear whether it would display the high selectivity and passive permeability required for a chemical probe. Therefore, we designed a new stereoselective route to synthesize a library of DG013A 1 analogues to determine the suitability of this compound as a cellular chemical probe to validate ERAP1 as a drug discovery target.
Whereas treatment of allergic diseases such as asthma relies largely on the targeting of dysregulated effector pathways, the conceptually attractive alternative of preventing them by a pharmaceutical, at-source intervention has been stymied until now by uncertainties about suitable targets and the challenges facing drug design. House dust mites (HDMs) are globally significant triggers of allergy. Group 1 HDM allergens, exemplified by Der p 1, are cysteine proteases. Their degradome has a strong disease linkage that underlies their status as risk and initiator allergens acting directly and through bystander effects on other allergens. Our objective was to test whether target-selective inhibitors of group 1 HDM allergens might provide a viable route to novel therapies. Using structure-directed design to optimize a series of pyruvamides, we undertook the first examination of whether pharmaceutically developable inhibitors of group 1 allergens might offer protection against HDM exposure. Developability criteria included durable inhibition of clinically relevant signals after a single aerosolized dose of the drug. The compounds suppressed acute airway responses of rats and mice when challenged with an HDM extract representing the HDM allergome. Inhibitory effects operated through a miscellany of downstream pathways involving, among others, IL-33, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, chemokines, and dendritic cells. IL-13 and eosinophil recruitment, indices of Th2 pathway activation, were strongly attenuated. The surprisingly expansive benefits arising from a unique at-source intervention suggest a novel approach to multiple allergic diseases in which HDMs play prominent roles and encourage exploration of these pharmaceutically developable molecules in a clinical setting.
High hit rates from initial ligand-observed NMR screening can make it challenging to prioritize which hits to follow up, especially in cases where there are no available crystal structures of these hits bound to the target proteins or other strategies to provide affinity ranking. Here, we report a reproducible, accurate, and versatile quantitative ligand-observed NMR assay, which can determine <i>K</i><sub>d</sub> values of fragments in the affinity range of low μM to low mM using transverse relaxation rate <i>R</i><sub>2</sub> as the observable parameter. In this study, we examined the theory and proposed a mathematical formulation to obtain <i>K</i><sub>d</sub> values using non-linear regression analysis. We designed an assay format with automated sample preparation and simplified data analysis. Using tool compounds, we explored the assay reproducibility, accuracy, and detection limits. Finally, we used this assay to triage fragment hits, yielded from fragment screening against the CRBN/DDB1 complex.
Patents
This invention relates to pyrrolopyrimidine comprising compounds that may be useful as inhibitors of Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase Kinase-4 (MAP4K4). The invention also relates to the use of these pyrrolopyrimidine comprising compounds, for example in a method of treatment. There are also provided processes for producing compounds of the present invention and method of their use. In particular, the present invention relates to compounds of formula (I).
This invention relates to compounds that may be useful as inhibitors of Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase Kinase-4 (MAP4K4). The invention also relates to the use of these compounds, for example in a method of treatmentof cardiac conditions.In particular, the present invention relates to compounds of formula (I):
The invention provides compounds of formula (I) wherein R is −CH3 or −CH2CH3 and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The compounds of formula (I) are useful in the treatment of diseases or disorders mediated by IKKE, TBK1 and/or SIK2 mechanisms in a subject, for example cancer and inflammatory and tissue repair disorders. The invention also provides uses of the compounds of formula (I) and compositions containing them. (Formula (I))
Compounds of the general formula (I) and salts thereof are useful in the treatment of diseases associated with aberrant activity of the protein kinases &Igr;&Kgr;&Kgr;&egr; and/or TBK-1 in which one of V and W is N, and the other of V and W is C-H; and R1, R2, R3 and R4 are as defined in the specification. The invention also provides uses of the compounds and compositions containing them.
The invention provides a compound that is an inhibitor of one or both of TBK1 and IKKe, or a down-regulator of the expression of one or both of TBK1 and IKKe, for use in a method of treating a cancer that is dependent on the PI3kinase pathway. The invention further provides a method of treating cancer in an individual in whom the cancer is dependent on the PI3kinase pathway, comprising administering to the individual a compound that is an inhibitor of one or both of TBK1 and IKKe, or a down-regulator of the expression of one or both of TBK1 and IKKe.
Compounds of the general formula (I) and salts thereof are useful in the treatment of diseases associated with aberrant activity of the protein kinases IKKe and/or TBK-1 : in which: R1 represents an aliphatic heterocyclyl group having 4, 5, 6 or 7 ring atoms, bonded to the phenyl group shown in formula I through a ring nitrogen atom, and optionally substituted by one or more substituents defined in the Specification; R2 represents a phenyl or heteroaryl group which is optionally substituted by one or more substituents defined in the Specification; and each of R3 and R4 independently represents a hydrogen atom or a C1-4 alkyl group.
The present invention pertains generally to the field of therapeutic compounds, and more specifically to certain aldehyde compounds of the following formula (A) (for convenience, collectively referred to herein as "ALD compounds"), which, inter alia, inhibit a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen (e.g., Der p 1, Der f 1, Eur m 1 ). The present invention also pertains to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, and the use of such compounds and compositions, both in vitro and in vivo, to inhibit a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen, and in the treatment of diseases and disorders that are mediated by a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen; that are ameliorated by the inhibition of a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen; asthma; rhinitis; allergic conjunctivitis; atopic dermatitis; an allergic condition which is triggered by dust mites; an allergic condition which is triggered by a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen; and canine atopy.
The present invention pertains generally to the field of therapeutic compounds, and more specifically to certain pyruvamide compounds of the formula (X) (for convenience, collectively referred to herein as "PVA compounds"), which, inter alia, inhibit a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen (e.g., Der p 1, Der f 1, Eur m 1). The present invention also pertains to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, and the use of such compounds and compositions, both in vitro and in vivo, to inhibit a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen, and in the treatment of diseases and disorders that are mediated by a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen; that are ameliorated by the inhibition of a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen; asthma; rhinitis; allergic conjunctivitis; atopic dermatitis; an allergic condition which is triggered by dust mites; an allergic condition which is triggered by a dust mite Group 1 peptidase allergen; and canine atopy.
Compounds represented by Formula (I): or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or N-oxide thereof, wherein R1 is R2 is and R3 is C<SUB>0-4</SUB>alkyl, are useful in the treatment of cancer.