Discovery of a Potent Nonpeptidomimetic, Small-Molecule Antagonist of Cellular Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein 1 (cIAP1) and X‑Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (XIAP)

XIAP and cIAP1 are
members of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein
(IAP) family and are key regulators of anti-apoptotic and pro-survival
signaling pathways. Overexpression of IAPs occurs in various cancers
and has been associated with tumor progression and resistance to treatment.
Structure-based drug design (SBDD) guided by structural information
from X-ray crystallography, computational studies, and NMR solution
conformational analysis was successfully applied to a fragment-derived
lead resulting in AT-IAP, a potent, orally bioavailable, dual antagonist
of XIAP and cIAP1 and a structurally novel chemical probe for IAP
biology.