Abstract
DNA polymerase theta (Polθ) is an attractive synthetic lethal target for drug discovery, predicted to be efficacious against breast and ovarian cancers harboring BRCA-mutant alleles. Here, we describe our hit-to-lead efforts in search of a selective inhibitor of human Polθ (encoded by POLQ). A high-throughput screening campaign of 350,000 compounds identified an 11 micromolar hit, giving rise to the N2-substituted fused pyrazolo series, which was validated by biophysical methods. Structure-based drug design efforts along with optimization of cellular potency and ADME ultimately led to the identification of RP-6685: a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable Polθ inhibitor that showed in vivo efficacy in an HCT116 BRCA2-/- mouse tumor xenograft model.