High-throughput discovery platform for modulators of cardiac muscle proteins to treat heart failure

项目摘要 这是光子制药有限责任公司(PP)和亚利桑那大学(UA)之间的第一阶段SBIR合作 将为治疗心力衰竭(HF)的创新药物发现活动建立概念验证， 靶向心肌肌球蛋白结合蛋白C(MyBP-C)。迫切需要新的治疗方法来治疗心力衰竭。 在美国，每30个成年人中就有1人面临重大健康问题。MyBP-C已被确定为治疗 正在修正HF。磷酸化影响N-末端MyBP-C结构，影响其与肌动蛋白和肌球蛋白的结合， 调节收缩和放松。因此，用模拟磷酸化的药物靶向MyBP-C 和/或调节其与肌动蛋白或肌球蛋白的结合是治疗心力衰竭的一种有前途的方法。PP有 开发用于荧光蛋白生物传感器和高通量筛选(HTS)的专利技术 时间分辨荧光寿命检测，寻求药物早期突破 以前所未有的质量、速度和精确度发现。UA带来MyBP-C和心脏领域的专业知识 肌肉生物物理学、生物化学和生理学。在一份新的出版物中，这个合作团队确定了 第一个与MyBP-C结合并调节其与肌动蛋白相互作用的化合物。这个项目的目标是 证明MyBP-C的药物靶向是发现新药物的强大平台 影响心肌蛋白功能并最终影响心力衰竭患者预后的治疗方法。目标1 研究将使用包含50,000种不同和类似药物的小分子的初步HTS分析 (最近在一个小型验证库上完成的筛查证明了这一点)，使用一种新的FRET分析方法来寻找 影响MyBP-C-与肌动蛋白相互作用的化合物。荧光寿命FRET(FLT-FRET) 检测使用附着在肌动蛋白和MyBP-C结构域C0-C2上的位点特异性荧光探针。外语教学测量 提供蛋白质结合和构象的精确读数。将对小分子命中进行评估以选择 具有最高亲和力相互作用和/或对磷酸化敏感性的化合物。AIM 2研究将使用 二次分析(较低的吞吐量)以确定HIT化合物对功能的有效性。精选化合物 将通过生化、生物物理和生理测试来评估对MyBP-C功能、肌动蛋白的影响 心肌细胞的结合力和收缩能力。这些新颖的筛选策略解决了关键缺失方面， 早期基于结构的药物发现，使MyBP-C治疗开发，根据需要精细- 调整收缩能力，提高患者的生活质量和生存质量。在第一阶段，我们将验证HTS检测 应用于商业规模的药物筛选。在第二阶段，我们将通过以下方式增强效力和特异性 药物化学，评估最有希望的化合物在日益生理/病理 条件为心力衰竭指征。来自主要制药公司的信件表明 这项技术的商业潜力，适用于这个特定的目标和其他。我们的长期目标：解决 对经过商业验证的新型心力衰竭疗法的需求尚未得到满足。

Project Summary This Phase I SBIR collaboration between Photonic Pharma LLC (PP) and the University of Arizona (UA) will establish proof-of-concept for an innovative drug-discovery campaign for treatment of heart failure (HF), targeting cardiac myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C). There is an urgent need for novel therapies for HF, a major health problem affecting 1 in 30 adults in the US. MyBP-C has been identified as a therapeutic target for correcting HF. Phosphorylation affects N-terminal MyBP-C structure, affecting its binding to actin and myosin, modulating contraction and relaxation. Therefore, targeting MyBP-C with drugs that mimic phosphorylation and/or modulate its binding to actin or myosin is a promising approach to treatment of heart failure. PP has developed patented technology for fluorescent protein biosensors and high-throughput screening (HTS) based on time-resolved fluorescence lifetime (FLT) detection, seeking breakthroughs in the early phase of drug discovery with unprecedented quality, speed, and precision. UA brings expertise in MyBP-C and cardiac muscle biophysics, biochemistry, and physiology. In a new publication, this collaborative team has identified the first compounds that bind to MyBP-C and modulate its interaction with actin. The goal of this project is to demonstrate proof-of-concept that drug targeting of MyBP-C is a powerful platform for discovery of novel therapies to affect cardiac muscle protein function and ultimately patient outcomes in heart failure. Aim 1 studies will use a primary HTS assay of a 50,000-compound library of diverse and drug-like small molecules (now justified by recently completed screens on a small validation library), using a novel FRET assay, to find compounds that affect the interaction of MyBP-C-with actin. The fluorescence lifetime FRET (FLT-FRET) assay uses site-specific fluorescent probes attached to actin and MyBP-C domains C0-C2. FLT measurements provide a precise readout of protein binding and conformation. Small-molecule Hits will be evaluated to select compounds with highest affinity interactions and/or sensitivity to phosphorylation. Aim 2 studies will use secondary assays (lower throughput) to determine efficacy of Hit compounds on function. Selected compounds will be evaluated by biochemical, biophysical, and physiological assays for effects on MyBP-C function, actin binding, and contractility in cardiac cells. These novel screening strategies address the key missing aspect, early-phase structure-based drug discovery, to enable MyBP-C therapeutic development, as needed to fine- tune contractility and improve patient quality of life and survival. In Phase I we will validate the HTS assay for application to commercial-scale drug screening. In Phase II we will enhance potency and specificity with medicinal chemistry, evaluating the most promising compounds in increasingly physiological/pathological conditions for the heart failure indication. Letters from major pharmaceutical companies indicate great commercial potential for this technology, applied to this specific target and others. Our long-term goal: address the unmet need for novel heart failure therapies that are commercially validated.