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Discovery of MK-3168: A PET Tracer for Imaging Brain Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase
Ping Liu1, Terence G Hamill2, Marc Chioda1
1Departments of Medicinal Chemistry, Immunology, Pharmacology, Preclinical DMPK, Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Process Research, Merck Research Laboratories , Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States.
Abstract:
We report herein the discovery of a fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) positron emission tomography (PET) tracer. Starting from a pyrazole lead, medicinal chemistry efforts directed toward reducing lipophilicity led to the synthesis of a series of imidazole analogues. Compound 6 was chosen for further profiling due to its appropriate physical chemical properties and excellent FAAH inhibition potency across species. [(11)C]-6 (MK-3168) exhibited good brain uptake and FAAH-specific signal in rhesus monkeys and is a suitable PET tracer for imaging FAAH in the brain.

