Discovery of potent, selective, and orally available WEE1 inhibitors that demonstrate increased DNA damage and mitosis in tumor cells leading to tumor regression in vivo (AACR 2022)
Small molecule WEE1 inhibitors, such as AZD1775 and Zn-C3, are currently being evaluated in the clinic and have demonstrated promising efficacy in solid tumors including ovarian, colon, and uterine carcinoma.By applying Schrödinger’s computational platform including Free Energy Perturbation (FEP) and Protein FEP, we have identified novel, potent, and highly selective WEE1 inhibitors with IC50 values in the low nanomolar range in a biochemical kinase activity assay and cellular target engagement (CDK1 pTyr15) IC50s of 100 - 300 nM in A427 and OVCAR3 cell lines. In summary, we have identified novel, potent and exquisitely selective WEE1 kinase inhibitors that demonstrate robust anti-tumor activity and sustained target engagement in tumor models. The compound’s anti-tumor effects are maintained with dosing holidays while allowing full recovery of mechanism-based hematological effects.