1
|
Xie X, Yu T, Li X, Zhang N, Foster LJ, Peng C, Huang W, He G. Recent advances in targeting the "undruggable" proteins: from drug discovery to clinical trials. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:335. [PMID: 37669923 PMCID: PMC10480221 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01589-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Undruggable proteins are a class of proteins that are often characterized by large, complex structures or functions that are difficult to interfere with using conventional drug design strategies. Targeting such undruggable targets has been considered also a great opportunity for treatment of human diseases and has attracted substantial efforts in the field of medicine. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the recent development of drug discovery targeting "undruggable" proteins and their application in clinic. To make this review well organized, we discuss the design strategies targeting the undruggable proteins, including covalent regulation, allosteric inhibition, protein-protein/DNA interaction inhibition, targeted proteins regulation, nucleic acid-based approach, immunotherapy and others.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Tingting Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China
- Department of Dermatology and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Leonard J Foster
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Cheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China.
| | - Wei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China.
| | - Gu He
- Department of Dermatology and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
English BA, Ereshefsky L. Experimental Medicine Approaches in Early-Phase CNS Drug Development. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 30:417-455. [PMID: 36928860 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-21054-9_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Traditionally, Phase 1 clinical trials were largely conducted in healthy normal volunteers and focused on collection of safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic data. However, in the CNS therapeutic area, with more drugs failing in later phase development, Phase 1 trials have undergone an evolution that includes incorporation of novel approaches involving novel study designs, inclusion of biomarkers, and early inclusion of patients to improve the pharmacologic understanding of novel CNS-active compounds early in clinical development with the hope of improving success in later phase pivotal trials. In this chapter, the authors will discuss the changing landscape of Phase 1 clinical trials in CNS, including novel trial methodology, inclusion of pharmacodynamic biomarkers, and experimental medicine approaches to inform early decision-making in clinical development.
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
Methamphetamine abuse leads to devastating consequences, including addiction, crime, and death. Despite decades of research, no medication has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Methamphetamine Use Disorder. Thus, there is a need for new therapeutic approaches. Animal studies demonstrate that methamphetamine exposure dysregulates forebrain function involving the Group-I metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu5), which is predominantly localized to postsynaptic sites. Allosteric modulators of mGlu5 offer a unique opportunity to modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission selectively, thereby potentially ameliorating methamphetamine-induced disruptions. Negative allosteric modulators of mGlu5 attenuate the effects of methamphetamine, including rewarding/reinforcing properties of the drug across animal models, and have shown promising effects in clinical trials for Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. Preclinical studies have also sparked great interest in mGlu5 positive allosteric modulators, which exhibit antipsychotic and anxiolytic properties, and facilitate extinction learning when access to methamphetamine is removed, possibly via the amelioration of methamphetamine-induced cognitive deficits. Clinical research is now needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the mGlu5 receptor-related effects of methamphetamine and the contributions of these effects to addictive behaviors. The growing array of mGlu5 allosteric modulators provides excellent tools for this purpose and may offer the prospect of developing tailored and effective medications for Methamphetamine Use Disorder.
Collapse
|
4
|
The Bayesian Design of Adaptive Clinical Trials. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18020530. [PMID: 33435249 PMCID: PMC7826635 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18020530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a brief overview of the recent literature on adaptive design of clinical trials from a Bayesian perspective for statistically not so sophisticated readers. Adaptive designs are attracting a keen interest in several disciplines, from a theoretical viewpoint and also—potentially—from a practical one, and Bayesian adaptive designs, in particular, have raised high expectations in clinical trials. The main conceptual tools are highlighted here, with a mention of several trial designs proposed in the literature that use these methods, including some of the registered Bayesian adaptive trials to this date. This review aims at complementing the existing ones on this topic, pointing at further interesting reading material.
Collapse
|
5
|
van Hoogdalem EJ, van Iersel MT, Winter E, Constant J, Kappler M. Pharmacology-Guided Rule-Based Adaptive Dose Escalation in First-in-Human Studies. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2020; 109:1326-1333. [PMID: 33150581 DOI: 10.1002/cpt.2101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
First-in-human (FIH) studies typically progress through cohorts of fixed, standard size throughout the escalation scheme. This work presents and tests a pharmacology-guided rule-based adaptive dose escalation design that aims at making "best use" of participants in early clinical drug evaluation; it is paper based, not requiring real-time access to computational methods. The design minimizes the number of participants exposed to dose levels with low likelihood of being therapeutically relevant. Using criteria based on dose-limiting adverse event rate and on target exposure or target pharmacodynamics, the design increases the sample size when approaching the dose range of potential clinical relevance. The adaptive escalation design was retrospectively tested on actual data from a sample of 40 recently executed FIH studies with novel small and large molecules, and it was evaluated by simulating trials with three compounds with different therapeutic windows, i.e., representing a promising, unacceptable, and dubious profile. In retrospective evaluation of the adaptive escalation design, none of the cases overshot the actually reported top dose; one case resulted in a top dose that was within 20% under the estimated maximum tolerated dose in the original study. The median reduction of total number of participants per study was 38%. Trial simulations confirmed the retrospective evaluation, showing a similar performance of the adaptive escalation design compared with the conventional 6 + 2 design, at a reduced study size for compounds with a presumed acceptable therapeutic window. The adaptive escalation design was shown to make "best use" of participants in FIH studies without compromising safety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - John Constant
- PRA Health Sciences, Scientific Affairs, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Martin Kappler
- PRA Health Sciences, Statistical Consulting Services, Levallois-Perret, France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Uno Y, Coyle JT. Glutamate hypothesis in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2019; 73:204-215. [PMID: 30666759 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe psychiatric disorder that has profound impact on an individual's life and on society. Thus, developing more effective therapeutic interventions is essential. Over the past quarter-century, an abundance of evidence from pharmacologic challenges, post-mortem studies, brain imaging, and genetic studies supports the role of glutamatergic dysregulation in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and the results of recent randomized clinical trials based on this evidence have yielded promising results. In this article, we review the evidence that alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission, especially focusing on the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function, may be a critical causative feature of schizophrenia, how this contributes to pathologic circuit function in the brain, and how these insights are revealing whole new avenues for treatment development that could reduce treatment-resistant symptoms, which account for persistent disability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yota Uno
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.,Laboratory for Psychiatric and Molecular Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Joseph T Coyle
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.,Laboratory for Psychiatric and Molecular Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abt M, Dinklo T, Rothfuss A, Husar E, Dannecker R, Kallivroussis K, Peck R, Doessegger L, Wandel C. A Framework Proposal to Follow-Up on Preclinical Convulsive Signals of a New Molecular Entity in First-in-Human Studies Using Electroencephalographic Monitoring. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2019; 106:968-980. [PMID: 30993670 PMCID: PMC6851537 DOI: 10.1002/cpt.1455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Traditionally, in dose-escalating first-in-human (FiH) studies, a dose cap with a 10-fold safety margin to the no observed effect level in animals is implemented if convulsive events are observed in animals. However, the convulsive risk seen in animals does not generally translate to humans. Several lines of evidence are summarized indicating that in a dose-escalating setting, electroencephalographic epileptiform abnormalities occur at lower doses than clinical convulsive events. Therefore, we propose to consider the occurrence of epileptiform abnormalities in toxicology studies as premonitory signals for convulsions in dose-escalating FiH studies. Compared with the traditional dose-cap approach, this may allow the exploration of higher doses in FiH and, subsequently, phase II studies without compromising human safety. Similarly, the presence or absence of electroencephalographic epileptiform abnormalities may also aid the assessment of proconvulsive risk in situations of increased perpetrator burden as potentially present in pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic drug-drug interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Abt
- Department of Biometrics, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Theo Dinklo
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Rothfuss
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elisabeth Husar
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Richard Peck
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Christoph Wandel
- Department of Safety & Risk Management, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Sturm S, Günther A, Jaber B, Jordan P, Al Kotbi N, Parkar N, Cleary Y, Frances N, Bergauer T, Heinig K, Kletzl H, Marquet A, Ratni H, Poirier A, Müller L, Czech C, Khwaja O. A phase 1 healthy male volunteer single escalating dose study of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of risdiplam (RG7916, RO7034067), a SMN2 splicing modifier. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2018; 85:181-193. [PMID: 30302786 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.13786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Risdiplam (RG7916, RO7034067) is an orally administered, centrally and peripherally distributed, survival of motor neuron 2 (SMN2) mRNA splicing modifier for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The objectives of this entry-into-human study were to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics of risdiplam, and the effect of the strong CYP3A inhibitor itraconazole on the PK of risdiplam in healthy male volunteers. METHODS Part 1 had a randomized, double-blind, adaptive design with 25 subjects receiving single ascending oral doses of risdiplam (ranging from 0.6-18.0 mg, n = 18) or placebo (n = 7). A Bayesian framework was applied to estimate risdiplam's effect on SMN2 mRNA. The effect of multiple doses of itraconazole on the PK of risdiplam was also assessed using a two-period cross-over design (n = 8). RESULTS Risdiplam in the fasted or fed state was well tolerated. Risdiplam exhibited linear PK over the dose range with a multi-phasic decline with a mean terminal half-life of 40-69 h. Food had no relevant effect, and itraconazole had only a minor effect on plasma PK indicating a low fraction of risdiplam metabolized by CYP3A. The highest tested dose of 18.0 mg risdiplam led to approximately 41% (95% confidence interval 27-55%) of the estimated maximum increase in SMN2 mRNA. CONCLUSIONS Risdiplam was well tolerated and proof of mechanism was demonstrated by the intended shift in SMN2 splicing towards full-length SMN2 mRNA. Based on these data, Phase 2/3 studies of risdiplam in patients with SMA are now ongoing.
Collapse
|
9
|
Sturm S, Delporte ML, Hadi S, Schobel S, Lindemann L, Weikert R, Jaeschke G, Derks M, Palermo G. Results and evaluation of a first-in-human study of RG7342, an mGlu5 positive allosteric modulator, utilizing Bayesian adaptive methods. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2017; 84:445-455. [PMID: 29096426 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.13466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM The objectives of this first-in-human study were to evaluate the safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of single ascending oral doses of RG7342, a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) for the treatment of schizophrenia, in healthy male subjects. METHODS This was a single-centre, randomized, double-blind, adaptive study of 37 subjects receiving single ascending oral doses of RG7342 (ranging from 0.06-1.2 mg, n = 27) or placebo (n = 10). A modified continual reassessment method, with control for the probability of overdosing based on the occurrence of dose-limiting events (DLEs), was applied to inform the subsequent dose decisions for RG7342. RESULTS DLEs consisted of dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and the incidence and severity of these adverse events increased in a concentration-dependent manner. RG7342 doses of 1.2 mg under fasting conditions, which reached a mean maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ) of 10.2 ng ml-1 , were not tolerated (four out of six subjects experienced DLEs). RG7342 showed dose-proportional pharmacokinetics, with rapid absorption and a biphasic decline, and a mean terminal half-life estimated to be >1000 h. CONCLUSIONS Single oral doses of RG7342 were generally tolerated up to 0.6 mg under fasting and 0.9 mg under fed conditions in healthy subjects. Bayesian adaptive methods describing the probability of DLEs were applied effectively to support dose escalation. MTDs (fasting, fed) were associated with a Cmax of 6.5 ng ml-1 . The development of RG7342 was discontinued owing to the potential challenges associated with a long half-life in context of the observed adverse events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Sturm
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marie-Laure Delporte
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Salah Hadi
- PRA Health Sciences (PRA) - Early Development Services, Van Swietenlaan 6 Clinical Site, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Scott Schobel
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lothar Lindemann
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Robert Weikert
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Georg Jaeschke
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Derks
- Roche Innovation Center Welwyn, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, 6 Falcon Way, Welwyn Garden City, UK
| | - Giuseppe Palermo
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|