Discovery and Preclinical Characterization of BIIB091, a Reversible, Selective BTK Inhibitor for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

J Med Chem. 2022 Jan 27;65(2):1206-1224. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00926. Epub 2021 Nov 4.

Abstract

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that is characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and axonal injury leading to permeant disability. In the early stage of MS, inflammation is the primary driver of the disease progression. There remains an unmet need to develop high efficacy therapies with superior safety profiles to prevent the inflammation processes leading to disability. Herein, we describe the discovery of BIIB091, a structurally distinct orthosteric ATP competitive, reversible inhibitor that binds the BTK protein in a DFG-in confirmation designed to sequester Tyr-551, an important phosphorylation site on BTK, into an inactive conformation with excellent affinity. Preclinical studies demonstrated BIB091 to be a high potency molecule with good drug-like properties and a safety/tolerability profile suitable for clinical development as a highly selective, reversible BTKi for treating autoimmune diseases such as MS.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Animals
  • Drug Discovery*
  • Macaca fascicularis
  • Male
  • Multiple Sclerosis* / drug therapy
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors* / chemistry
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors* / pharmacokinetics
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors* / pharmacology
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Tissue Distribution

Substances

  • Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • BIIB091