title: Studies toward the duocarmycin prodrugs for the antibody prodrug therapy approach.
abstract: A tricyclic precursor for the synthesis of the prodrugs of pro-1,2,9,9a-tetrahydrocyclopropa[c]benz-[e]indole-4-one tetramethoxyindolecarboxamide (CBI-TMI) was prepared using the ring-closing metathesis approach. The tricyclic intermediate was converted to an advanced precursor of a CBI-TMI prodrug equipped with a linker presumably suitable for activation using the aldolase catalytic antibody 38C2. An attempted 38C2-catalyzed two-step activation of the hydroxy-pro-CBI intermediate involving retro-aldol and the β-elimination reactions was also examined.
authors.affiliation: The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and the Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037.
authors.forename: Lian-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Subhash C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Sinha