Drug synthesis

Antibacterial agents are a group of materials that fight against pathogenic bacteria. Thus, by killing or reducing the metabolic activity of bacteria, their pathogenic effect in the biological environments will be minimized. The most widely used antibacterial agents exert their effects on bacterial cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis, DNA replication and metabolic pathways. However, resistance to antimicrobial agents has become a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The main mechanisms of resistance are limiting uptake of a drug, modification of a drug target, inactivation of a drug, and active efflux of a drug. Therefore, it is an urgent need to develop new drugs targeted at resistant organisms.

MCE offers a unique collection of 1,407 compounds with validated antibacterial activities. MCE antibacterial compound library is an effective tool for drug repurposing screening, combination screening and biological investigation.

The high rates of morbidity and mortality caused by fungal infections are associated with the current limited antifungal arsenal and the high toxicity of the compounds. Additionally, identifying novel drug targets is challenging because there are many similarities between fungal and human cells. The most common antifungal targets include fungal RNA synthesis and cell wall and membrane components, though new antifungal targets are being investigated. Nonetheless, fungi have developed resistance mechanisms, such as overexpression of efflux pump proteins, overexpression and changes in drug targets and biofilm formation, emphasizing the importance of discovering new antifungal drugs and therapies. Due to the limited antifungal arsenal, researchers have sought to improve treatment via different approaches, such as the combination of antifungal drugs, development of new formulations for antifungal agents and modifications to the chemical structures of traditional antifungals, etc.

MCE offers a unique collection of 386 compounds with validated antifungal activities. MCE antifungal compound library is an effective tool for drug repurposing screening, combination screening and biological investigation.

Amino acids, as one of the most fundamental organic compounds in living organisms, serve not only as the basic building blocks of proteins but also but also undertake the functions of energy supply, neurotransmitter synthesis, and maintenance of internal environment stability.Amino acid metabolic enzymes are a class of enzymes involved in the metabolic processes of amino acids, catalyzing their synthesis, breakdown, transformation, and interactions with other metabolic pathways. Abnormalities in amino acid metabolic enzymes can lead to various metabolic diseases, such as phenylketonuria and hyperammonemia, etc. Therefore, actively exploring and regulating the processes of amino acid metabolism is crucial for the development of drugs related to these diseases.

MCE designs a unique collection of 227 small molecules target amino acid metabolizing enzymes, which is an important tool for studying studying amino acid metabolism processes or metabolism-related drug development.

Peptidomimetics are compounds whose essential elements (pharmacophore) mimic a natural peptide or protein in 3D space and which retain the ability to interact with the biological target and produce the same biological effect. Peptidomimetics are designed to circumvent some of the problems associated with a natural peptide: e.g. stability against proteolysis (duration of activity) and poor bioavailability. Certain other properties, such as receptor selectivity or potency, often can be substantially improved. The design and synthesis of peptidomimetics are most important because of the dominant position peptide and protein-protein interactions play in molecular recognition and signaling, especially in living systems. Hence mimics have great potential in drug discovery.

MCE Peptidomimetic Library contains 375 compounds including peptoid, α-helix mimetics, β-turn/sheets mimetics, etc. This library is an indispensable tool of structure-activity relationships in drug discovery.

The MCE 1K Drug Fragment Library consists of 1,168 drug fragments. These drug fragments are derived from 2,946 FDA-approved drug molecules, and fragments from one drug can appear in other drugs, so these fragments are somewhat correlated with good PK/PD properties. Fragment-based screening can reserve enough chemical space for subsequent structural optimization. This compound library is an essential tool for drug screening based on FBDD (Fragment-Based Drug Discovery).

Fatty acids (FAs) are the main components of lipids. The synthesis of fatty acids mainly involves the Triglyceride (TG) cycle and De Novo Lipogenesis (DNL). Fatty acids which exist widely in organisms are components of cell membranes and play an indispensable role in cell signaling. In addition, FFAs can be taken up from circulating plasma by all mitochondria-containing cells, and they are metabolized by β-oxidation and the citric acid cycle to release large amounts of energy in the form of ATP. Abnormal fatty acid metabolism is associated with the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, fatty liver, hyperthyroidism, and other diseases.

MCE offers a unique collection of fatty acid compounds. Fatty Acids Compound Library is an important tool for the study of energy metabolism and drug development of metabolism-related diseases.

Boric acid is a stable and usually non-toxic group widely used in modern synthesis to form C-C and C-heteroatom bonds. Boric acid exhibits exquisite reversible coordination characteristics and can be explored as a molecular construction tool, with specific mechanisms for controlling the structure and biological characteristics of bioconjugates. Boric acid has various activities, such as anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral activities. In drugs, boric acid mainly exists in the form of arylboronic acid. In addition to this form, heterocycles containing boric acid, such as pyridine, pyrrole, and indole derivatives, are also very useful in pharmaceutical chemistry. Molecular modification by introducing boric acid groups into bioactive molecules has been shown to alter selectivity, physicochemical, and pharmacokinetic characteristics, and improve existing activity.

MCE designs a unique collection of 147 boronic acid compounds. It is a good tool to be used for research on cancer and other diseases.

Alkaloids are a large and complex group of cyclic compounds that contain N. About 2,000 different alkaloids have been isolated. Important alkaloids include morphine, strychnine, atropine, colchicine, ephedrine, quinine, and nicotine. Alkaloids are useful as diet ingredients, supplements, and pharmaceuticals, in medicine and in other applications in human life. They showed anti-inflammatory, anticancer, analgesics, local anesthetic and pain relief, neuropharmacologic, antimicrobial, antifungal, and many other activities. Alkaloids are also important compounds in organic synthesis for searching new semisynthetic and synthetic compounds with possibly better biological activity than parent compounds.

MCE designs a unique collection of 555 alkaloids that all come from natural products. MCE Alkaloids Library is a useful tool for drug discovery that can be used for high throughput screening (HTS) and high content screening (HCS).

Antibiotics are types of antimicrobial products used for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections. Antibiotics can kill or inhibit bacterial growth. Although the target of an antibiotic is bacteria, some antibiotics also attack fungi and protozoans. However, antibiotics rarely have an effect on viruses. The major mechanism underlying antibiotics is the inhibition or regulation of enzymes involved in cell wall biosynthesis, nucleic acid metabolism and repair, protein synthesis, or disruption of membrane structure. Many of these cellular functions targeted by antibiotics are most active in multiplying cells. Since there is often overlap in these functions between prokaryotic bacterial cells and eukaryotic mammalian cells, it is not surprising that some antibiotics have also been found to be useful as anticancer agents.

MCE supplies a unique collection of 688 antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, macrolides, etc. MCE Antibiotics Library is a useful tool for anti-bacterial or anti-cancer drugs discovery.

Mitochondria, as the main place of energy supply in life, is essential to maintain normal life activities. Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with common diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer. The heart, brain and liver rely heavily on mitochondrial function as the main organs for drug metabolism. In addition, mitochondria is also a target of many drugs, some of which induce organotoxicity by inducing mitochondrial toxicity.

MCE contains 491 mitochondrial toxic compounds, which can be used as tool compounds for drug development and disease mechanism research.

In the research of covalent inhibitors targeting serine and threonine, scientists have found that the nucleophilicity of these hydroxyl groups is significantly enhanced due to the influence of their surrounding environment. This results in higher activity during catalytic reactions. Aspirin, which targets the non-catalytic domain serine (Ser529 in human COX1) of cyclooxygenase, exerts its anti-inflammatory effect through covalent binding. β-lactam antibiotics, which targets the catalytic domain serine of penicillin-binding proteins, interferes with bacterial cell wall synthesis.

Through careful selection, we constructed a structural filter containing over 110 electrophilic groups. By analyzing the electrophilic fragments selected by the structural filter, we removed any molecules with trivial or undesirable structural features. Ultimately, we obtained 3,300 fragment molecules which can target serine and threonine residues and can be used for fragment-based covalent drug discovery.

Techniques for reprogramming somatic cells create new opportunities for drug screening, disease modeling, artificial organ development, and cell therapy. The development of reprogramming techniques has grown exponentially since Yamanaka reprogrammed somatic cells to become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using four transcription factors, OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC in 2006. Despite the development of efficient reprogramming methods, most methods are inappropriate for clinical applications because they carry the risk of integrating exogenous genetic factors or use oncogenes. Alternative approaches, such as those based on miRNA, non-viral genes, non-integrative vectors, and small molecules, have been studied as possible solutions to the problems. Among these alternatives, small molecules are attractive options for clinical applications. Reprogramming using small molecules is inexpensive and easy to control in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. It offers a high level of cell permeability, ease of synthesis and standardization, and it is appropriate for mass-producing cells.

MCE Reprogramming Compound Library contains a unique collection of 2,182 compounds that act on reprogramming signaling pathways. These compounds are potential stimulators for reprogramming. This library is a useful tool for researching reprogramming and regenerative medicine.

The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway controls many cellular processes that are important for the formation and progression of cancer, including apoptosis, transcription, translation, metabolism, angiogenesis, and cell cycle progression. Every major node of this signaling network is activated in a wide range of human tumors. Mechanisms for the pathway activation include activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) upstream of PI3K, mutation or amplification of PIK3CA encoding p110α catalytic subunit of PI3K, mutation or loss of PTEN tumor suppressor gene, and mutation or amplification of Akt1. Once the pathway is activated, signaling through Akt can stimulate a series of substrates including mTOR which is involved in protein synthesis. Thus, inhibition of this pathway is an attractive concept for cancer prevention and/or therapy. Currently some mTOR inhibitors are approved for several indications, and there are several novel PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors in clinical trials.

MCE owns a unique collection of 600 compounds that can be used for PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway research. PI3K/Akt/mTOR Compound Library also acts as a useful tool for anti-cancer drug discovery.

New drug development is a time-consuming and high-cost process. Drug repurposing (also called drug repositioning, reprofiling or re‑tasking) offers various advantages over developing an entirely new drug for a given indication. First, the risk of failure is lower. Second, the time frame for drug development can be reduced. Third, less investment is needed. Approved drugs have identified bioactivities, good pharmacokinetic characteristics and safety which are suitable for drug repurposing.

MCE owns a unique collection of 3,073 approved compounds which have been completed extensive preclinical and clinical studies and have well-characterized bioactivities, safety and bioavailability properties. The package of this library is 96-well microplate with peelable foil seal, which makes the screening process easier and faster.