Discovery and Optimization of Potent, Selective, and in Vivo Efficacious 2-Aryl Benzimidazole BCATm Inhibitors.
Deng, H., Zhou, J., Sundersingh, F., Messer, J.A., Somers, D.O., Ajakane, M., Arico-Muendel, C.C., Beljean, A., Belyanskaya, S.L., Bingham, R., Blazensky, E., Boullay, A.B., Boursier, E., Chai, J., Carter, P., Chung, C.W., Daugan, A., Ding, Y., Herry, K., Hobbs, C., Humphries, E., Kollmann, C., Nguyen, V.L., Nicodeme, E., Smith, S.E., Dodic, N., Ancellin, N.(2016) ACS Med Chem Lett 7: 379-384
- PubMed: 27096045 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.5b00389
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
5HNE - PubMed Abstract: 
To identify BCATm inhibitors suitable for in vivo study, Encoded Library Technology (ELT) was used to affinity screen a 117 million member benzimidazole based DNA encoded library, which identified an inhibitor series with both biochemical and cellular activities. Subsequent SAR studies led to the discovery of a highly potent and selective compound, 1-(3-(5-bromothiophene-2-carboxamido)cyclohexyl)-N-methyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-5-carboxamide (8b) with much improved PK properties. X-ray structure revealed that 8b binds to the active site of BACTm in a unique mode via multiple H-bond and van der Waals interactions. After oral administration, 8b raised mouse blood levels of all three branched chain amino acids as a consequence of BCATm inhibition.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Platform of Technology and Science, GlaxoSmithKline , 830 Winter Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, United States.