compound 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 1306 compounds with validated antibacterial activities. MCE antibacterial compound library is an effective tool for drug repurposing screening, combination screening and biological investigation.

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 528 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).

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 339 compounds with validated antifungal activities. MCE antifungal compound library is an effective tool for drug repurposing screening, combination screening and biological investigation.

Cytokines are a kind of low molecular soluble proteins synthesized and secreted by immunogen, mitogen or other factors. They have functions of regulating innate and adaptive immune responses, promoting hematopoiesis, stimulating cell activation, proliferation and differentiation. The process of releasing a large number of cytokines is also called “Cytokine storm”, which can cause damage to many tissues and organs in the body. Cytokine is involved in the pathogenesis of many human diseases, including cancer, diabetes, chronic inflammatory diseases and so on. Cytokine inhibitors are a class of essential compounds that act by directly inhibiting the synthesis and release of cytokine or blocking the binding of cytokine to their receptors. Cytokine inhibitors are important compounds for the study of tumor and autoimmune diseases.

MCE designs a unique collection of 820 cytokine inhibitors, mainly targeting the receptor interleukin (IL), colony-stimulating factor (CSF), interferon (IFN), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), growth factor (GF) and chemokine, which is an effective tool for development and research of anti-cancer, anti-chronic inflammatory diseases and anti-autoimmune diseases compounds.

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 376 compounds including peptoid, α-helix mimetics, β-turn/sheets mimetics, etc. This library is an indispensable tool of structure-activity relationships in 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 2048 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.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contributes to the production and folding of approximately one third of cellular proteins, and is thus inextricably linked to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and the fine balance between health and disease. However, some adverse factors negatively impact ER functions and protein synthesis, resulting in the activation of Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress, ERS) and unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling pathways. The UPR is triggered when ER protein folding capacity is overwhelmed by cellular demand and the UPR initially aims to restore ER homeostasis and normal cellular functions. However, if this fails, then the UPR triggers cell death. Chronic ER stress and defects in UPR signaling are emerging as key contributors to a growing list of human diseases, including diabetes, neurodegeneration and cancer.

MCE Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Compound Library contains 219 ER stress-related compounds that mainly target PERK, IRE1, ATF6, etc. MCE ER stress library is a useful tool for researching ER stress and related diseases.

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 470 mitochondrial toxic compounds, which can be used as tool compounds for drug development, organ toxicity and disease mechanism research.

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 7 boronic acid compounds. It is a good tool to be used for research on cancer and other diseases.

DNA is prone to numerous forms of damage that can injure cells and impair fitness. Cells have developed an array of mechanisms to repair these injuries. Proliferating cells are especially vulnerable to DNA damage due to the added demands of cellular growth and division. Cell cycle checkpoints represent integral components of DNA repair that coordinate cooperation between the machinery of the cell cycle and several biochemical pathways that respond to damage and restore DNA structure. By delaying progression through the cell cycle, checkpoints provide more time for repair before the critical phases of DNA replication, when the genome is replicated, and of mitosis, when the genome is segregated. Loss or attenuation of checkpoint function may increase spontaneous and induced gene mutations and chromosomal aberrations by reducing the efficiency of DNA repair.

MCE owns a unique collection of 2001 cell cycle/DNA damage-related compounds which can be used in the research of the same.

Glutamine is an important metabolic fuel that helps rapidly proliferating cells meet the increased demand for ATP, biosynthetic precursors, and reducing agents. Glutamine Metabolism pathway involves the initial deamination of glutamine by glutaminase(GLS), yielding glutamate and ammonia. Glutamate is converted to the TCA cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) by either glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) or by the alanine or aspartate transaminases (TAs), to produce both ATP and anabolic carbons for the synthesis of amino acids, nucleotides and lipids. During periods of hypoxia or mitochondrial dysfunction, α-KG can be converted to citrate in a reductive carboxylation reaction catalyzed by IDH2. The newly formed citrate exits the mitochondria where it is used to synthesize fatty acids and amino acids and produce the reducing agent, NADPH.

Cancer cells display an altered metabolic circuitry that is directly regulated by oncogenic mutations and loss of tumor suppressors. Mounting evidence indicates that altered glutamine metabolism in cancer cells has critical roles in supporting macromolecule biosynthesis, regulating signaling pathways, and maintaining redox homeostasis, all of which contribute to cancer cell proliferation and survival. Thus, intervention in glutamine metabolic processes could provide novel approaches to improve cancer treatment.

MCE owns a unique collection of 903 compounds targeting the mainly proteins and enzymes involved in glutamine metabolism pathway. Glutamine Metabolism compound library is a useful tool for intervention in glutamine metabolic processes.

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 568 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 2905 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.