Discovery and Characterization of BAY-184: A New Potent and Selective Acylsulfonamide-Benzofuran In Vivo-Active KAT6AB Inhibitor

KAT6A and KAT6B genes are two closely related lysine acetyltransferases that transfer an acetyl group from acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA) to lysine residues of target histone substrates, hence playing a key role in chromatin regulation. KAT6A and KAT6B genes are frequently amplified in various cancer types. In breast cancer, the 8p11-p12 amplicon occurs in 12–15% of cases, resulting in elevated copy numbers and expression levels of chromatin modifiers like KAT6A. Here, we report the discovery of a new acylsulfonamide-benzofuran series as a novel structural class for KAT6A/B inhibition. These compounds were identified through high-throughput screening and subsequently optimized using molecular modeling and cocrystal structure determination. The final tool compound, BAY-184 (29), was successfully validated in an in vivo proof-of-concept study.