Document Report Card

ID: ALA1152782

Journal: J Med Chem

Title: Rational modification of a candidate cancer drug for use against Chagas disease.

Authors: Kraus JM, Verlinde CL, Karimi M, Lepesheva GI, Gelb MH, Buckner FS.

Abstract: Chagas disease is one of the major neglected diseases of the world. Existing drug therapies are limited, ineffective, and highly toxic. We describe a novel strategy of drug discovery of adapting an existing clinical compound with excellent pharmaceutical properties to target a pathogenic organism. The protein farnesyltransferase (PFT) inhibitor tipifarnib, now in phase III anticancer clinical trials, was previously found to kill Trypanosoma cruzi by blocking sterol 14 alpha-demethylase (14DM). We rationally developed tipifarnib analogues that display reduced affinity for human PFT to reduce toxicity while increasing affinity for parasite 14DM. The lead compound has picomolar activity against cultured T. cruzi and is efficacious in a mouse model of acute Chagas disease.

CiteXplore: 19239254

DOI: 10.1021/jm801313t