Advancing fragment binders to lead-like compounds using ligand and protein-based NMR spectroscopy

The application of NMR in fragment-based lead discovery (FBLD) has quickly developed from a sensitive method for the identification of low-affinity binders to an important tool in the hit-to-lead process. NMR can play a constructive role in the process from identifying those fragments with the best potential toward a biochemically active compound to developing them into molecules with high affinity and selectivity to a given target protein. NMR hit-to-lead involves revising the lead identification process at the beginning of a fragment-based drug discovery project, the primary screen, and also looking toward protein-detected NMR methods in advancing compounds from fragment hit into and through fragment hit-to-lead. With the development of higher sensitivity cold NMR probes, ligand-based NMR methods can be successfully applied to a majority of projects found in a pharmaceutical pipeline. Having matured from the original concepts such as SAR by NMR (Shuker, S. B., Hajduk, P. J., Meadows, R. P., Fesik, S. W. (1996) Discovering high-affinity ligands for proteins: SAR by NMR. Science274 (5292), 1531-1534.), projects that base their lead matter on fragment hits are close to or already in the clinic (Woodhead, A. J., Angove, H., Carr, M. G., Chessari, G., Congreve, M., Coyle, J. E., Cosme, J., Graham, B., Day, P. J., Downham, R., Fazal, L., Feltell, R., et al. (2010) discovery of (2,4-dihydroxy-5-isopropylphenyl)-[5-(4-methylpiperazin-1-ylmethyl)-1,3-dihydroisoindol-2-yl]methanone (AT13387), a novel inhibitor of the molecular chaperone Hsp90 by fragment based drug design. J. Med. Chem.53, 5956-5969, Chessari, G., and Woodhead, A. J. (2009). From fragment to clinical candidate: A historical perspective. Drug Discov. Today14 (13-14), 668-675.). Generating new ideas toward new binding modes and mechanisms of action as well as new intellectual property will be the standard by which the success of FBLD will need to be measured. A strategy outlining the various steps involved in NMR hit-to-lead is provided. By means of a specific example, the workflow is described to guide the reader through the experimental setup.