Belnacasan (VX-765), and its active metabolite VRT- 043198, is a novel and irreversible IL-converting enzyme/ caspase-1 inhibitor. VRT-043198 exhibits 100- to 10,000-fold selectivity against other caspase-3, -6 and -9. It exhibited potent inhibition against ICE/caspase-1 and caspase-4 with Ki of 0.8 nM and less than 0.6 nM, respectively. And VRT-043198 also inhibits IL-1β release from both PBMCs and whole blood with IC50 of 0.67 uM and 1.9 uM, respectively. Belnacasan inhibits the release of IL-1, IL-18 and IL-33. Belnacasan has shown to inhibit acute partial seizures in preclinical models and has shown activity in preclinical models of chronic partial epilepsy that do not respond to currently available compounds for epilepsy. In addition, it seems to reduce disease severity and the expression of inflammatory mediators in models of rheumatoid arthritis and skin inflammation. Belnacasan had been in phase II clinical trials by Vertex for the treatment of epilepsy. However, this study has been terminated later.

Apabetalone (RVX-208) is a small molecule BET bromodomain inhibitor selective for BRD4-BD2 undergoing clinical development as a potential therapy to enhance ApoA-I production and treat atherosclerosis and prevent cardiovascular disease events. Apabetalone increases apolipoprotein A-I and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-Cholesterol) in vitro and in vivo which is believed to provide a new approach to treating atherosclerosis through the stimulation of reverse cholesterol transport. RVX-208 increased the Tm of all BET bromodomains, indicative of binding. RVX-208 competes for acetylated histone H4 peptide binding to both bromodomains of BRD4, similar to JQ-1, but with a preference for BD2 over BD1. RVX-208 also binds to the bromodomains of BRDs 2 and 3 with a similar preference for BD2 (Kd~5–30 nM) over BD1 (Kd~2–3 uM). Treatment of humans for 1 week with oral RVX-208 increased apoA-I, pre-beta-HDL, and HDL functionality. Resverlogix Corp. has commenced a Phase 3 clinical trial in cardiovascular disease patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with a primary endpoint of time to first occurrence of Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE).

OC-459 is a highly potent and selective CRTH2 antagonist which is active on both the recombinant and native human receptor. The Atopix lead compound OC-459 is effective in improving lung function and symptoms in patients with atopic eosinophilic asthma. This group represents 40-50% of all asthmatics and the magnitude of improvement in the responder population is equivalent to high dose inhaled corticosteroids. OC-459 has also been shown to reduce both nasal and eye symptoms in allergic subjects exposed to grass pollen. Of particular interest is the ability of OC-459 to reduce the rate of respiratory infections, an effect related to reduction in Th2 immunity which has a damaging effect on host defence. OC-459 has also demonstrated an excellent safety profile in around 800 subjects exposed drug and no safety issues have been highlighted in long term toxicology. OC-459 is in Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.

Licochalcone A (LicA) is a flavonoid isolated from the famous Chinese medicinal herb Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch and has a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities such as anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-cancer. However, its pharmacological mechanism is not well defined. The anti-Inflammatory effects of LicA on IL-1β-Stimulated human osteoarthritis chondrocytes was reached by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway. LicA showed anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects in breast cancer cells through regulating Sp1 and apoptosis-related proteins in a dose- and a time-dependent manner. In addition, the chemotherapeutic potential of LicA for treatment of human cervical cancer was achieved by inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling.

Zinc telluride is a binary chemical compound with the formula ZnTe. Zinc telluride (ZnTe) is a wide-band-gap II–VI semiconductor (E g=2.25 eV at 300 K) crystallizing in the cubic, zinc-blende structure. This material is promising for application as a purely green light-emitting diode. As Zinc telluride can be easily doped, and for this reason it is one of the more common semiconducting materials used in optoelectronics. Zinc telluride finds applications in the following: LEDs and laser diodes Solar cells Tetrahertz imaging Electro-optic detector Holographic interferometry Laser optical phase conjugation devices. Gold–zinc telluride (Au–ZnTe) core–shell nanoparticles were synthesized to support surface modifications for enhanced drug delivery in cancer therapeutics.

O-Desmethyl tramadol (O-Desmethyltramadol, O-DSMT) is a metabolite of tramadol. O-Desmethyltramadol is an opioid analgesic and the main active metabolite of tramadol. (+)-O-Desmethyltramadol is the most important metabolite of tramadol produced in the liver after tramadol is consumed. This metabolite is considerably more potent as a μ-opioid agonist than the parent compound. O-desmethyl tramadol, inhibits 5-hydroxytryptamine type 2C receptors expressed in xenopus oocytes. O-desmethyl tramadol inhibits functions of M(1) receptors but has little effect on those of M(3) receptors. O-desmethyl tramadol has been widely used clinically and has analgesic activity.

Vorasidenib (also known as AG 881) was developed as an isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) type 1 in the cytoplasm and type 2 in the mitochondria, with potential antineoplastic activity. It is known that IDH is an essential enzyme for cellular respiration in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Isocitrate dehydrogenases 1 and 2 (IDH1/2) are homodimeric enzymes that catalyze the conversion of isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Vorasidenib participated in phase I clinical trials in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies and in gliomas.

Decoglurant is a negative allosteric modulator of the mGlu2 and mGlu receptors developed by Roche. Decoglurant was investigated in a phase 2 clinical trials in patients with major depressive disorder. Negative results were reported and the development was discontinued in 2015.

Napabucasin (BBI608) is an orally administered small molecule that blocks stem cell activity in cancer cells by targeting the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway, which is over-activated in many types of cancer and has been shown to be an important pathway in cancer stem cell-mediated propagation of cancer. Napabucasin has already shown promising efficacy on different cancer types, both as a monotherapy and in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Early-phase trials have shown promising anti-tumor efficacy when patients are treated with napabucasin in combination with standard chemotherapy agents, and preclinical results suggest that napabucasin can synergize with chemotherapy agents, such as paclitaxel, to potentially overcome drug resistance. Encouraging phase Ib/II trial results warrant further clinical study with napabucasin and paclitaxel combination therapy, especially in malignancies where there is an urgent and unmet need for effective therapeutics, such as in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.