Central Nervous System Multiparameter Optimization Desirability: Application in Drug Discovery

Abstract

Significant progress has been made in prospectively designing molecules using the central nervous system multiparameter optimization (CNS MPO) desirability tool, as evidenced by the analysis reported herein of a second wave of drug candidates that originated after the development and implementation of this tool. This simple-to-use design algorithm has expanded design space for CNS candidates and has further demonstrated the advantages of utilizing a flexible, multiparameter approach in drug discovery rather than individual parameters and hard cutoffs of physicochemical properties. The CNS MPO tool has helped to increase the percentage of compounds nominated for clinical development that exhibit alignment of ADME attributes, cross the blood-brain barrier, and reside in lower-risk safety space (low ClogP and high TPSA). The use of this tool has played a role in reducing the number of compounds submitted to exploratory toxicity studies and increasing the survival of our drug candidates through regulatory toxicology into First in Human studies. Overall, the CNS MPO algorithm has helped to improve the prioritization of design ideas and the quality of the compounds nominated for clinical development.

Keywords: Attrition; CNS MPO; CNS candidates; CNS drug design; CNS drugs; Harrington optimization; Madin−Darby canine kidney; P-glycoprotein (P-gp); central nervous system (CNS); desirability score; efficacious drug concentration (Ceff); human liver microsome stability; hydrogen-bond donor; lipophilicity; molecular weight; most basic pKa; multiparameter optimization (MPO); multivariant optimization; passive permeability; polarity; topological polar surface area; unbound intrinsic clearance.