Structure-based design and synthesis of covalent-reversible inhibitors to overcome drug resistance in EGFR.

The clinical success of covalent kinase inhibitors in the treatment of EGFR-dependent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has rejuvenated the appreciation of reactive small molecules. Acquired drug resistance against first-line EGFR inhibitors remains the major bottleneck in NSCLC and is currently addressed by the application of fine-tuned covalent drugs. Here we report the design, synthesis and biochemical evaluation of a novel class of EGFR inhibitors with a covalent yet reversible warhead. A series of WZ4002 analogs, derived from anilinopyrimidine and 3-substituted-2-cyanoacrylamide scaffolds, exhibit strong and selective inhibitory activity against clinically relevant EGFR(L858R) and EGFR(L858R/T790M).