Philippa Cranwell

Philippa is based in the UK, and her expertise is primarily in the areas of organic and analytical chemistry. Philippa gained an MChem in chemistry from the University of Southampton in 2008, then a PhD in organic chemistry working with Professor Steven Ley at the University of Cambridge in 2012. After completing her PhD she moved to ETH Zurich for postdoctoral studies, working with Professor Erick Carreira. She returned to the UK to an academic position at the University of Reading, where she was rapidly promoted to Associate Professor. During this time she was heavily involved with teaching students, programme leadership including designing and implementing two new degree programmes, undergraduate/MSc/PhD project supervision, admissions, publishing research and internationalization. She was also the University Director of Foundation Studies, expanding foundation year provision from 9 programmes across 3 Schools to 22 across 6 Schools and increasing enrolment from 80 to ~250 students over a 2 year period. In 2022 she moved to become head of research at a local SME, working with external customers and preparing marketing material and case-studies, while maintaining Senior Visiting Fellow status at the University of Reading. In October 2023 she took the plunge to become a freelance writer, supporting Drug Hunter with preparation of technical articles and marketing materials for the website. Philippa has published extensively within organic chemistry and chemistry education, written three textbooks, presented work at numerous national and international conferences, has been an External Examiner for undergraduate chemistry degree programmes, was a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry Committee for Accreditation and Validation, assessed CREST awards, and was Crowd Review Editor for SynOpen, a journal hosted by Thieme. She is currently a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Professional Standards Board and an active member of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists Education Committee.

First Disclosure of Proposed Drug Names (and Structures)

The INN Proposed List 131, released on August 11th, 2024, unveils the latest batch of drug names currently under consideration by the WHO. To streamline your review, we’ve distilled and compiled a searchable table for the small molecules that includes company identifiers, the newly proposed drug names, structural information, original patents, companies, and mechanisms of action, including structures that were previously undisclosed.

Resource

LTGO-33

LTGO-33 is a state-independent NaV1.8 inhibitor with over 600-fold selectivity for the NaV1.8 channel over other sodium channels. Chronic pain affects millions, and existing treatments offer limited efficacy, risk of abuse, and low tolerability. There is an urgent need for new drugs that target validated pain mechanisms such as NaV1.8, which has recently gained increased attention. This article explores the unique pharmacological properties of LTGO-33, setting it apart from earlier NaV1.8 inhibitors.

Molecule

CVN293

Cerevance’s CVN293 is an oral, CNS-penetrant, selective inhibitor of potassium efflux-mediated NLRP3-inflammasome activation in microglia for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Cerevance’s NETSseq platform was used to discover a microglia-specific potassium efflux channel, KCNK13, which allows modulation of the NLRP3-inflammasome in the CNS without affecting peripheral innate immunity. Read the full article to discover highlights on the CNS-penetration of highly polar compounds and how particle size can be key to oral bioavailability

Molecule

inaxaplin (VX-147)

Inaxaplin (VX-147), developed by Vertex, is an inhibitor of APOL1 channel activity currently in a Ph. II/III pivotal study for the treatment of chronic kidney disease caused by specific variants of the APOL1 gene. It was recently granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA and PRIME designation by the EMA. The discovery story, which is an excellent case study for the use of MetID. Inaxaplin has been called “the most important genomic-driven drug discovery for chronic kidney disease this century”, acting on a target with a fascinating human genetic validation story.

Molecule

NT-0796

NT-0796 is NodThera's pro-drug inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome. NT-0796 is currently in a Ph. Ib/IIa trial in obese individuals at risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. NT-0796 has the potential to reduce neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease. The NLRP3 inflammasome has emerged as a hot target due to its connection to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, gout, and other diseases. Here is a detailed review of the role of NLRP3 inhibition in treating atherosclerosis, how NT-0796 was identified, and what makes it special, clinical development, and more.

Molecule

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