Borsari C, Trader DJ, Tait A, Costi MP. Designing Chimeric Molecules for Drug Discovery by Leveraging Chemical Biology.
J Med Chem 2020;
63:1908-1928. [PMID:
32023055 PMCID:
PMC7997565 DOI:
10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01456]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
After the first seed concept introduced in the 18th century, different disciplines have attributed different names to dual-functional molecules depending on their application, including bioconjugates, bifunctional compounds, multitargeting molecules, chimeras, hybrids, engineered compounds. However, these engineered constructs share a general structure: a first component that targets a specific cell and a second component that exerts the pharmacological activity. A stable or cleavable linker connects the two modules of a chimera. Herein, we discuss the recent advances in the rapidly expanding field of chimeric molecules leveraging chemical biology concepts. This Perspective is focused on bifunctional compounds in which one component is a lead compound or a drug. In detail, we discuss chemical features of chimeric molecules and their use for targeted delivery and for target engagement studies.
Collapse