Optimizing the antibacterial activity of a lead structure discovered by ‘SAR by MS’ technology

Fragment-Based Approaches to Identify RNA Binders

Although fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has been successfully implemented and well-explored for protein targets, its feasibility for RNA targets is emerging. Despite the challenges associated with the selective targeting of RNA, efforts to integrate known methods of RNA binder discovery with fragment-based approaches have been fruitful, as a few bioactive ligands have been identified. Here, we review various fragment-based approaches implemented for RNA targets and provide insights into experimental design and outcomes to guide future work in the area. Indeed, investigations surrounding the molecular recognition of RNA by fragments address rather important questions such as the limits of molecular weight that confer selective binding and the physicochemical properties favorable for RNA binding and bioactivity.

Room-temperature palladium-catalysed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of arylboric acid with aryl chlorides

The first room-temperature Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of aryl-boronic acid with aryl chlorides catalyzed by a Pd(OAc)₂/NiXantphos-based system is communicated.

An efficient continuous flow approach to furnish furan-based biaryls

Suzuki cross-couplings of 5-formyl-2-furanylboronic acid with activated or neutral aryl bromides were performed under continuous flow conditions in the presence of (Bu)4N(+)F(-) and the immobilised t-butyl based palladium catalyst CatCart™ FC1032™. Deactivated aryl bromides and activated aryl chlorides were cross-coupled with 5-formyl-2-furanylboronic in the presence of (Bu)4N(+)OAc(-) using the bis-triphenylphosphine CatCart™ PdCl2(PPh3)2-DVB. Initial evidence indicates the latter method may serve as a universal approach to conduct Suzuki cross-couplings with the protocol successfully employed in the synthesis of the current gold standard Hedgehog pathway inhibitor LDE225.

Antituberculosis drugs: ten years of research

Tuberculosis is today amongst the worldwide health threats. As resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have slowly emerged, treatment failure is too often a fact, especially in countries lacking the necessary health care organisation to provide the long and costly treatment adapted to patients. Because of lack of treatment or lack of adapted treatment, at least two million people will die of tuberculosis this year. Due to this concern, this infectious disease was the focus of renewed scientific interest in the last decade. Regimens were optimized and much was learnt on the mechanisms of action of the antituberculosis drugs used. Moreover, the quest for original drugs overcoming some of the problems of current regimens also became the focus of research programmes and many new series of M. tuberculosis growth inhibitors were reported. This review presents the drugs currently used in antituberculosis treatments and the most advanced compounds undergoing clinical trials. We then provide a description of their mechanism of action along with other series of inhibitors known to act on related biochemical targets. This is followed by other inhibitors of M. tuberculosis growth, including recently reported compounds devoid of a reported mechanism of action.