Discovery of ZN-c3, a Highly Potent and Selective Wee1 Inhibitor Undergoing Evaluation in Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Cancer

Wee1
inhibition has received great attention in the past decade
as a promising therapy for cancer treatment. Therefore, a potent and
selective Wee1 inhibitor is highly desirable. Our efforts to make
safer and more efficacious Wee1 inhibitors led to the discovery of
compound 16, a highly selective Wee1 inhibitor with balanced
potency, ADME, and pharmacokinetic properties. The chiral ethyl moiety
of compound 16 provided an unexpected improvement of
Wee1 potency. Compound 16, known as ZN-c3, showed excellent in vivo efficacy and is currently being evaluated in phase
2 clinical trials.