Alkeus Pharma's lead compound, ALK-001, is an oral compound with a well-understood mechanism of action. ALK-001 was specifically designed to prevent the formation of these toxic vitamin A dimers in the eye. ALK-001 is a chemically-modified vitamin A, in which 3 hydrogen atoms have been replaced by 3 deuterium atoms at carbon number 20. Replacing the retina's vitamin A with ALK-001 slows the formation of toxic vitamin A dimers. ALK-001 is in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of Stargardt's disease. The compound was co-developed by Alkeus Pharmaceuticals and Columbia University.

BAY-1125976 is an orally bioavailable inhibitor of the serine/threonine protein kinase AKT (protein kinase B) isoforms 1 and 2 (AKT1/2) with potential antineoplastic activity. AKT1/2 inhibitor BAY1125976 selectively binds to and inhibits the phosphorylation and activity of AKT1/2 in a non-ATP competitive manner, which may result in the inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. This may lead to both the reduction of cell proliferation and the induction of cell apoptosis in AKT-overexpressing tumor cells. The AKT signaling pathway is often deregulated in cancer and is associated with tumor cell proliferation, survival, and migration. BAY 1125976 is equally potent against Akt1 and Akt2 isoforms and up to 86 fold less potent against Akt3 It inhibits the Akt1 and Akt2 by binding into an allosteric binding pocket formed by kinase and PH domain. It inhibits cell proliferation in a broad panel of human cancer cell lines, particularly in breast and prostate cancer cell lines expressing estrogen or androgen receptors. It effectively blocks Akt signaling by inhibiting the phosphorylation of Akt and the downstream effectors, including eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3s), proline-rich Akt substrate 40 kDa (PRAS40), S6 ribosomal protein (S6RP), and 70 kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (70S6K). BAY 1125976 exhibits strong in vivo efficacy in both cell line and patient-derived xenograft models such as the KPL4 breast cancer model (PIK3CAH1074R mutant), the MCF7 and HBCx-2 breast cancer models, and the AktE17K mutant driven prostate cancer (LAPC-4) and anal cancer (AXF 984) models.

TBA-354, also known as SN31354, is a potent anti-tuberculosis drug candidate. TBA-354 is narrow spectrum and bactericidal in vitro against replicating and nonreplicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with potency similar to that of delamanid and greater than that of PA-824. TBA-354 maintains activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv isogenic monoresistant strains and clinical drug-sensitive and drug-resistant isolates. TBA-354 is a promising next-generation nitroimidazole antitubercular agent. TBA-354 emerged from studies designed to identify a next generation nitroimidazole for TB. TB Alliance conducted the studies in collaboration with the University of Auckland and University of Illinois-Chicago. Once identified, TB Alliance further advanced TBA-354 through pre-clinical development and is now the sponsor of the Phase 1 study.

GSK126, a potent, highly selective, S-adenosyl-methionine-competitive, small-molecule inhibitor of EZH2 methyltransferase activity, decreases global H3K27me3 levels and reactivates silenced PRC2 target genes. GSK126 effectively inhibits the proliferation of EZH2 mutant DLBCL cell lines and markedly inhibits the growth of EZH2 mutant DLBCL xenografts in mice. Pharmacological inhibition of EZH2 activity may provide a promising treatment for EZH2 mutant lymphoma. EZH2 inactivation by GSK126 is also effective in killing MM cells and CSCs as a single agent or in combination with bortezomib. Clinical trial of GSK126 in patients with MM may be warranted. GSK126 is undergoing phase I trials for hypermethylation-related cancers. GSK126 is in phase I diffuse large B cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. GSK126 inhibits cell migration and angiogenesis in solid tumor cell lines through down-regulation of VEGF-A expression. Thus, it may be considered as a novel anticancer drug candidate for solid tumor.