Publications

Antibody drug-conjugates (ADC) are a well-established class of therapeutics primarily used in oncology to selectively deliver highly cytotoxic agents into cancer cells. While ADC should theoretically spare healthy tissues and diminish side effects in patients, off-target toxicity is still observed, all the more serious as the drugs are extremely potent. In the quest towards safer payloads, we used the conventional chemotherapeutic drug vincristine to develop antibody-vincristine conjugates. Vincristine was N-alkylated with a cleavable linker and the resulting linker-payload conjugated to free cysteines of antibodies. We show that trastuzumab-vincristine conjugates display subnanomolar potency in vitro on HER2-positive cells, two orders of magnitude lower than free vincristine and comparable with marketed ADC. In vivo, trastuzumabvincristine conjugates led to remarkable efficacy when compared to two standards of care, with complete tumor regression just nine days after single administration. This highlights the untapped potential of the chemotherapeutic arsenal towards the development of novel ADC.

<div><p>Protocol to generate, purify, and analyze antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates from offthe-shelf antibodies Antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) are a fast-expanding modality for targeted delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides to tissues. Here, we present a protocol to generate, purify, and analyze AOCs from off-the-shelf antibodies. We describe steps to conjugate single/doublestranded oligonucleotides bearing amine handles to linkers and, then, to antibodies using wellestablished chemistry. In addition, we provide details regarding the purification techniques and analytical methods suitable for AOC. This protocol can be applied for several purposes where AOC is a modality of interest.</p></div>

RNA interference is a widely used biological process by which double-stranded RNA induces sequence-specific gene silencing by targeting mRNA for degradation. However, the physicochemical properties of siRNAs make their delivery extremely challenging, thus limiting their bioavailability at the target site. In this context, we developed a versatile and selective siRNA delivery system of a trastuzumab-conjugated nanocarrier. These immunoconjugates consist of the assembly by electrostatic interactions of an oligonucleotide-modified antibody with a cationic micelle for the targeted delivery of siRNA in HER2-overexpressing cancer cells. Results show that, when associated with the corresponding siRNA at the appropriate N/P ratio, our supramolecular assembly was able to efficiently induce luciferase and PLK-1 gene silencing in a cell-selective manner in vitro.

Studying the complex and intricate retinoids metabolic pathways by chemical biology approaches requires design and synthesis of biologically functional molecular probes. Only few of such molecular retinoid probes could be found in literature, most of them bearing a molecular structure quite different from natural retinoids. To provide close‐to‐native retinoid probes, we have developed a versatile late‐stage method for the insertion of azide function at the C4 position of several retinoids. This one‐step process opens straightforward access to different retinoid and carotenoid probes from commercially available precursors. We have further demonstrated that the different molecular probes retain ability of the original compound to activate genes’ transcription, despite azide insertion, highlighting biological activities that were further validated in zebrafish in vivo model. The present work paves the way to future studies on vitamin A's metabolism.

Drug repurposing is used to propose new therapeutic perspectives. Here, we introduce “Drug Upgrade”, that is, characterizing the mode of action of an old drug to generate new chemical entities and new therapeutics. We proposed a novel methodology covering target identification to pharmacology validation. As an old drug, we chose hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for its well-documented clinical efficacy in lupus and its side effect, retinal toxicity. Using the Nematic Protein Organization Technique (NPOT®) followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses, we identified myeloperoxidase (MPO) and alpha-crystallin β chain (CRYAB) as primary and secondary targets to HCQ from lupus patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and isolated human retinas. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and enzymatic assays confirmed the interaction of HCQ with MPO and CRYAB. We synthesized INS-072 a novel analog of HCQ that increased affinity for MPO and decreased binding to CRYAB compared to HCQ. INS-072 delayed cutaneous eruption significantly compared to HCQ in the murine MRL/lpr model of spontaneous lupus and prevents immune complex vasculitis in mice. In addition, long-term HCQ treatment caused retinal toxicity in mice, unlike INS-072. Our study illustrates a method of drug development, where new applications or improvements can be explored by fully characterizing the drug's mode of action.

Disulfide rebridging methods are emerging recently as new ways to specifically modify antibody-based entities and produce future conjugates. Briefly, the solvent-accessible disulfide bonds of antibodies or antigen-binding fragments (Fab) thereof are reduced under controlled conditions and further covalently attached with a rebridging agent allowing the incorporation of one payload per disulfide bond. There are many examples of successful rebridging cases providing homogeneous conjugates due to the use of symmetrical reagents, such as dibromomaleimides. However, partial rebridging due to the use of unsymmetrical ones, containing functional groups with different reactivity, usually leads to the development of heterogeneous species that cannot be identified by a simple sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel eletrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) due to its lack of sensitivity, resolution and low mass accuracy. Mass spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatography (LC-MS) approaches have already been demonstrated as highly promising alternatives for the characterization of newly developed antibody-drug-conjugate (ADC) and monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based formats. We report here the in-depth characterization of covalently rebridged antibodies and Fab fragments in-development, using size-exclusion chromatography hyphenated to mass spectrometry in denaturing conditions (denaturing SEC-MS, dSEC-MS). DSEC-MS was used to monitor closely the rebridging reaction of a conjugated trastuzumab, in addition to conjugated Fab fragments, which allowed an unambiguous identification of the covalently rebridged products along with the unbound species. This all-in-one approach allowed a straightforward analysis of the studied samples with precise mass measurement; critical quality attributes (CQAs) assessment along with rebridging efficiency determination.

The chemical bioconjugation of proteins has seen tremendous applications in the past decades, with the booming of antibody-drug conjugates and their use in oncology. While genetic engineering has permitted to produce bespoke proteins featuring key (un−)natural amino acid residues poised for site-selective modifications, the conjugation of native proteins is riddled with selectivity issues. Chemoselective strategies are plentiful and enable the precise modification of virtually any residue with a reactive side-chain; site-selective methods are less common and usually most effective on small and medium-sized proteins. In this context, we studied the application of the Ugi multicomponent reaction for the site-selective conjugation of amine and carboxylate groups on proteins, and antibodies in particular. Through an in-depth mechanistic methodology work supported by peptide mapping studies, we managed to develop a set of conditions allowing the highly selective modification of antibodies bearing N-terminal glutamate and aspartate residues. We demonstrated that this strategy did not alter their affinity toward their target antigen and produced an antibody-drug conjugate with subnanomolar potency. Excitingly, we showed that the high site selectivity of our strategy was maintained on other protein formats, especially on anticalins, for which directed mutagenesis helped to highlight the key importance of a single lysine residue.

Double-stranded RNAs (dsRNA)-based strategies appeared as promising therapies to induce an inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. However, currently described systems generally lack active targeting of tissues, and their clinical translation is thus limited to intratumoral injection. Herein, we developed an antibody-siRNA-5′triphosphate conjugate with multiple modes of action, combining cell surface EphA2-specific internalization, leading to a simultaneous gene silencing and activation of the receptor retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I). Recognition of cytosolic siRNA-5′triphosphate by RIG-I triggers the expression of interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines, inducing an inflammation of the tumor environment and activating neighboring immune cells. In addition, these RIG-I-specific effects synergized with siRNA-mediated PLK1 silencing to promote cancer cell death by apoptosis. Altogether, such immune-stimulating antibody-RNA conjugate opens a novel modality to overcome some limitations encountered by dsRNA molecules currently in clinical trials.

Protein conjugates have found applications in a wide variety of fields, ranging from therapeutics to imaging and detection. However, robust control over the parameters of the conjugation process (such as sites and degree of conjugation) remains challenging. Previously, our group introduced Equimolar NAtive Chemical Tagging (ENACT), a method which allows for the monofunctionalization of proteins by combining an iterative low-conversion bioconjugation, an automated process, and a bioorthogonal trans-tagging reaction. However, while the automated ENACT was dimensioned to achieve monoconjugation at the mg scale, in early stage research, because of the rarity and cost of the starting materials, it is often necessary to prepare conjugates at the lower, μg, scale. Here, we introduce modified ENACT protocols, as well as a new ENACT conjugation reagent, which allow for the monofunctionalization of proteins on the micrograms scale, using minimal quantities of payload.

Droplet-based microfluidics is leading the development of miniaturized, rapid, and sensitive version of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), a central method for protein detection. These assays involve the use of a functionalized surface able to selectively capture the desired analyte. Using the droplet’s oil water interface as a capture surface requires designing custom-perfluorinated fluorosurfactants bearing azide-containing polar groups, which spontaneously react when forming the droplet with strain-alkyne-functionalized antibodies solubilized in the aqueous phase. In this article, we present our research on the influence of the structure of surfactant’s hydrophilic heads on the efficiency of SPAAC functionalization and on the effect of this antibody grafting process on droplet stability. We have shown that while short linkers lead to high grafting efficiency, long linkers lead to high stability, and that an intermediate size is required to balance both parameters. In the described family of surfactants, the optimal structure proved to be a PEG4 linker connecting a polar di-azide head and a per-fluoropolyether tail (Krytox). We also found that grafting an increasing amount of antibody, thus increasing interface coverage, increases droplet stability. It thus appears that such a bi-partite system with a reactive fluoro-surfactant in the oil phase and reactive antibody counterpart in the aqueous phase gives access in situ to novel surfactant construct providing unexplored interface structures and droplet functionality.

Despite their clinical success, Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) are still limited to the delivery of a handful of cytotoxic small-molecule payloads. Adaptation of this successful format to the delivery of alternative types of cytotoxic payloads is of high interest in the search for novel anticancer treatments. Herein, we considered that the inherent toxicity of cationic nanoparticles (cNP), which limits their use as oligonucleotide delivery systems, could be turned into an opportunity to access a new family of toxic payloads. We complexed anti-HER2 antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOC) with cytotoxic cationic polydiacetylenic micelles to obtain Antibody-Toxic-Nanoparticles Conjugates (ATNPs) and studied their physicochemical properties, as well as their bioactivity in both in vitro and in vivo HER2 models. After optimising their AOC/cNP ratio, the small (73 nm) HER2-targeting ATNPs were found to selectively kill antigen-positive SKBR-2 cells over antigen-negative MDA-MB-231 cells in serum-containing medium. Further in vivo anti-cancer activity was demonstrated in an SKBR-3 tumour xenograft model in BALB/c mice in which stable 60% tumour regression could be observed just after two injections of 45 pmol of ATNP. These results open interesting prospects in the use of such cationic nanoparticles as payloads for ADC-like strategies.

Peptide and protein bioconjugation sees ever‐growing applications in the pharmaceutical sector. Novel strategies and reagents that can address the chemo‐ and regioselectivity issues inherent to these biomolecules, while delivering stable and functionalizable conjugates, are therefore needed. Herein, we introduce the crosslinking ethynylbenziodazolone (EBZ) reagent JW‐AM‐005 for the conjugation of peptides and proteins through the selective linkage of cysteine residues. This easily accessed compound gives access to peptide conjugates or stapled peptides under mild and tuneable conditions. Applied to the antibody fragment of antigen binding (Fab) species, JW‐AM‐005 delivered rebridged proteins in a one‐pot three‐reaction process with high regioselectivity, outperforming the standard reagents commonly used for this transformation.

Cleavable linkers have become the subject of intense study in the field of chemical biology, particularly because of their applications in the construction of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), where they facilitate lysosomal cleavage and liberation of drugs from their carrier protein. Due to lysosomes' acidic nature, acid-labile motifs have attracted much attention, leading to the development of hydrazone and carbonate linkers among several other entities. Continuing our efforts in designing new moieties, we present here a family of cyclic acetals that exhibit excellent plasma stability and acid lability, notably in lysosomes. Incorporated in ADC, they led to potent constructs with picomolar potency in vitro and similar in vivo efficacy as the commercially available ADC Kadcyla in mouse xenograft models.

The bioconjugation of proteins—that is, the creation of a covalent link between a protein and any other molecule—has been studied for decades, partly because of the numerous applications of protein conjugates, but also due to the technical challenge it represents. Indeed, proteins possess inner physico-chemical properties—they are sensitive and polynucleophilic macromolecules—that make them complex substrates in conjugation reactions. This complexity arises from the mild conditions imposed by their sensitivity but also from selectivity issues, viz the precise control of the conjugation site on the protein. After decades of research, strategies and reagents have been developed to address two aspects of this selectivity: chemoselectivity—harnessing the reacting chemical functionality—and site-selectivity—controlling the reacting amino acid residue—most notably thanks to the participation of synthetic chemistry in this effort. This review offers an overview of these chemical bioconjugation strategies, insisting on those employing native proteins as substrates, and shows that the field is active and exciting, especially for synthetic chemists seeking new challenges.

Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs) represent an emerging class of functionalized antibodies that have already been used in a wide variety of applications. While the impact of dye and drug conjugation on antibodies’ ability to bind their target has been extensively studied, little is known about the effect caused by the conjugation of hydrophilic and charged payloads such as oligonucleotides on the functions of an antibody. Previous observations of non-specific interactions of nucleic acids with untargeted cells prompted us to further investigate their impact on AOC binding abilities and cell selectivity. We synthesized a series of single- and double-stranded AOCs, as well as a human serum albumin-oligonucleotide conjugate, and studied their interactions with both targeted and non-targeted living cells using a time-resolved analysis of ligand binding assay. Our results indicate that conjugation of single strand oligonucleotides to proteins induce consistent non-specific interactions with cell surfaces while double strand oligonucleotides have little or no effect, depending on the preparation method.

Bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-yn-9-ylmethanol (BCN alcohol) is the most prominent strained-alkyne scaffold in chemical biology. Described herein is the synthesis of an oxidized analogue-BCN acidwhose facile functionalization via amide bond formation yields more stable derivatives than the classically encountered carbamates.

We report the unexpected acceleration of strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition in human plasma compared to classical solvent systems. Besides fast kinetics, human plasma also allows for discrimination between two azides in competition reaction.

A new alkaloid, manniindole 1, together with four known compounds: aristolactam AII 2, aristolactam BII 3, piperolactam D 4 and polycarpol 5 were isolated from the crude extract EtOHH2O (8:2) of the roots of Anonidium mannii by chromatographic separation. The structure elucidation was performed on the basis of a spectroscopic analysis (IR, HRESI MS, 1D and 2D NMR) as well as a comparison of their spectral data with those reported in the literature. For the first time, the crude extract and those isolated compounds were evaluated for their antischistosomal activity against Schistosoma mansoni and for cytotoxicity activity against Huh7 and A549 cells. Furthermore, they were also tested in vitro on the recent characterized Schistosoma mansoni NADþ catabolizing enzyme (SmNACE) for their impact on this enzyme which is localized on the outer surface of the adult parasite. Compound 2 displayed quite good worm killing capability, while 4 showed significant inhibition of SmNACE

Context: Anonidium mannii (Annonaceae) has been traditionally used in Africa to treat stomach aches, schistosomiasis, and many other illnesses. However, few phytochemical study and no investigation on schistosomiasis have been conducted on this species. This neglected tropical disease, caused by a worm, comes second after malaria as the most devastating parasitical infection. Aim: The goal of this study was to evaluate the anti-Schistosoma mansoni activity of fractions and constituents from A. mannii's stem bark and also to search efficient inhibitors of a recently discovered ectoenzyme of S. mansoni (S. mansoni nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide + catabolizing enzyme [SmNACE]). Materials and Methods: The powdered stem bark of A. mannii was extracted with ethanol/distilled water (80:20). The extract was then subjected to a partial bioguided separation by chromatography means. The structures of compounds were elucidated using modern spectroscopic techniques. Furthermore, isolated and semisynthetic compounds were evaluated for their antischistosomal and cytotoxic activities. Results: Chemical investigation led to the isolation and identification of eight compounds, in the majority, obtained for the first time from this genus. In addition, acetylation reactions were carried out to afford a new semisynthetic derivative. Preliminary biological screening of the extracts and compounds showed very good activities from antiparasitic and enzymatic tests and also very good percentage of cell viability evaluation. Conclusion: Like praziquantel drug, gallic acid exhibited full anthelmintic activity at concentration of 100 µM. On the other hand, piperolactam D showed important inhibition on SmNACE (IC 50 10 µM). Thus, standardization of bioactive fraction can help in improving traditional medicine. The optimization of those two compounds will enhance their selectivity/ effectiveness and could be used as seed for the development of new remedies against schistosomiasis. Further, the study will be focus on other pathogens species of Schistosoma genus.

Efficient methods to introduce bioorthogonal groups, such as terminal alkynes, into biomolecules are important tools for chemical biology. State-of-the-art approaches are based on the introduction of a linker between the targeted amino acid and the alkyne, and still present limitations of either reactivity, selectivity or adduct stability. Herein, we present an ethynylation method of cysteine residues based on the use of ethynylbenziodoxolone (EBX) reagents. In contrast to other approaches, the acetylene group is directly introduced onto the thiol group of cysteine and can be used in one-pot in a copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) for further functionalization. Labeling proceeded with reaction rates comparable or higher than the most often used iodoacetamide on peptides or maleimide on the antibody trastuzumab. Under optimized conditions, high cysteine selectivity was observed. The reagents were also used in living cells for cysteine proteomic profiling and displayed an improved coverage of the cysteinome compared to previously reported iodoacetamide or hypervalent iodine-reagent based probes. Fine-tuning of the EBX reagents allowed optimization of their reactivity and physical properties for the desired application.

Here we present the synthesis and evaluation of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), for which antibody and drug are non-covalently connected using complementary DNA linkers. These ADCs are composed of trastuzumab, an antibody targeting HER2 receptors overexpressed on breast cancer cells, and monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) as a drug payload. In this new ADC format, trastuzumab conjugated to a 37-mer oligonucleotide (ON) was prepared and hybridized with its complementary ON modified at 5-end with MMAE (cON-MMAE) in order to obtain trastuzumab-DNA-MMAE. As an advantage, the cON-MMAE was completely soluble in water, which decreases overall hydrophobicity of toxic payload, an important characteristic of ADCs. The stability in the human plasma of these non-engineered ON-based linkers was investigated and showed a satisfactory half-life of 5.8 days for the trastuzumab-DNA format. Finally, we investigated the in vitro cytotoxicity profile of both the DNA-linked ADC and the ON-drug conjugates and compared them with classical covalently linked ADC. Interestingly, we found increased cytotoxicity for MMAE compared to cON-MMAE and an EC50 in the nanomolar range for trastuzumab-DNA-MMAE on HER2-positive cells. Although this proved to be less potent than classically linked ADC with picomolar range EC50, the difference in cytotoxicity between naked payload and conjugated payload was significant when an ON linker was used. We also observed an interesting increase in cytotoxicity of trastuzumab-DNA-MMAE on HER2-negative cells. This was attributed to enhanced non-specific interaction triggered by the DNA strand as it could be confirmed using ligand tracer assay.

Site-selective modification of proteins has been the object of intense studies over the past decades, especially in the therapeutic field. Prominent results have been obtained with recombinant proteins, for which site-specific conjugation is made possible by the incorporation of particular amino acid residues or peptide sequences. In parallel, methods for the site-selective and site-specific conjugation of native and natural proteins are starting to thrive, allowing the controlled functionalization of various types of amino acid residues. Pursuing the efforts in this field, we planned to develop a new type of site-selective method, aiming at the simultaneous conjugation of two amino acid residues. We reasoned that this should give higher chances of developing a site-selective strategy compared to the large majority of existing methods that solely target a single residue. We opted for the Ugi four-center three-component reaction to implement this idea, with the aim of conjugating the side-chain amine and carboxylate groups of two neighbouring lysine and aspartate/glutamate. Herein, we show that this strategy can give access to valuable antibody conjugates bearing several different payloads, and limits the potential conjugation sites to only six on the model antibody trastuzumab. Posttranslational modifications of proteins is Nature's way of generating a rich and diverse proteome from a more limited genetic coding capability. First occurrences of intentional, man-made-artificial-proteins modifications using a defined chemical-thus excluding the food-related Maillard reaction for example-could be dated back to the use of formaldehyde in the tanning industry or for the production of toxoids, 1,2 which evolved later on to immunization studies using chemically-modified bovine serum albumin in the 1900s and eventually led to Landsteiner's synthetic haptenes studies. 3,4 The field of protein modification has since largely benefited from the understanding of proteins' and amino acids' structures coupled to the parallel appearance of more efficient and precise analytical tools. This finally resulted in the development of bioconjugation reagents with excellent chemoselectivity towards various amino acids' side chains groups (i.e. residue-selectivity) that translated into major applications, notably in the pharmaceutical field with the generation of protein-fluorophore adducts for trafficking studies, or the polyethyleneglycol chains functionalization (PEGylation) of proteins to give less-immunogenic and more plasma-stable conjugates. 5,6 However, site selectivity quickly emerged as the main limitation of chemoselective strategies, due to the presence of multiple copies of each type of amino acid residue at the surface of proteins. Statistic conjugation of surface-accessible lysine residues with amine-selective reagents typically results in highly heterogeneous mixtures, containing up to millions of different adducts when large proteins such as antibodies are utilised. 7,8 Each of these adducts possessing distinct physicochemical properties, such chemoselective conjugation necessarily leads to mixtures with different in-vivo pharmacokinetic properties along with virtually no reproducibility in batch-to-batch production. 9,10 Regioselective (i.e., site-specific) methods were thus developed and are currently dominated by the use of recombinant proteins, incorporating exogenous amino acid residues-natural or unnatural-or peptide sequences that can be specifically targeted by a tailored reagent or strategy. 11-13 In parallel, site-selective chemical strategies for the conjugation of native and natural proteins have also flourished over the past few years, giving rise to methods targeting various types of amino acids-e.g. lysine, cysteine, tryptophan, tyrosine-that proved to be effective on proteins of all sorts of sizes, including antibodies. 14-28 With the aim of pursuing the efforts in this field, we could not help but notice that the vast majority of previously reported strategies for the site-selective conjugation of native proteins were focused on the modification of a unique residue. We hypothesized that targeting two different amino acid side chains simultaneously would lower the enormous subset of possibilities given by single-residue bioconjugation techniques, thus increasing our chances of developing a site-selective method by minimising the number

Controlled protein functionalization holds great promise for a wide variety of applications. However, despite intensive research, the stoichiometry of the functionalization reaction remains difficult to control due to the inherent stochasticity of the conjugation process. Classical approaches that exploit peculiar structural features of specific protein substrates, or introduce reactive handles via mutagenesis, are by essence limited in scope or require substantial protein reengineering. We herein present equimolar native chemical tagging (ENACT), which precisely controls the stoichiometry of inherently random conjugation reactions by combining iterative low-conversion chemical modification, process automation, and bioorthogonal trans-tagging. We discuss the broad applicability of this conjugation process to a variety of protein substrates and payloads.

Antibody–oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) are a novel class of synthetic chimeric biomolecules that has been continually gaining traction in different fields of modern biotechnology. This is mainly due to the unique combination of the properties of their two constituents, exceptional targeting abilities and antibody biodistribution profiles, in addition to an extensive scope of oligonucleotide functional and structural roles. Combining these two classes of biomolecules in one chimeric construct has therefore become an important milestone in the development of numerous biotechnological applications, including imaging (DNA-PAINT), detection (PLA, PEA), and therapeutics (targeted siRNA/antisense delivery). Numerous synthetic approaches have been developed to access AOCs ranging from stochastic chemical bioconjugation to site-specific conjugation with reactive handles, introduced into antibody sequences through protein engineering. This Review gives a general overview of the current status of AOC applications with a specific emphasis on the synthetic methods used for their preparation. The reported synthetic techniques are discussed in terms of their practical aspects and limitations. The importance of the development of novel methods for the facile generation of AOCs possessing a defined constitution is highlighted as a priority in AOC research to ensure the advance of their new applications.

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can down-regulate the expression of a target mRNA molecule in a sequence-specific manner, making them an attractive new class of drugs with broad potential for the treatment of diverse human diseases. Here, we report the synthesis of a series of cationic amphiphiles which were obtained by the coupling of amino acids and dipeptides onto a lipidic double chain. The new amphiphiles presenting a peptidic motif on a short hydrophilic spacer group were evaluated for selective gene silencing through RNA interference. Our results show that tryptophan residues boost siRNA delivery in an unexpected manner. The silencing experiments performed with very low concentrations of siRNA showed that the best formulations could induce significant death of tumor cells after silencing of polo-like kinase 1 which is implicated in cell cycle progression. In addition, these Trp containing peptide amphiphiles were highly efficient siRNA delivery vectors even in presence of competing serum proteins.

Chemical Biology is the science of designing chemical tools to dissect and manipulate biology at different scales. It provides the fertile ground from which to address important problems of our society, such as human health and environment.

We report the synthesis and use of sydnone-based profluorophores as tools for imaging applications. These new probes display exquisite reactivity for strain promoted cycloaddition reactions with cycloalkynes allowing fast, efficient and selective labeling in biological media. Styryl-pyridinium sydnone probes were found particularly interesting for click reactions to proceed selectively inside cells.

As multidrug resistant pathogenic microorganisms are on the horizon, it is crucial to develop continuously novel medicines in order to overcome the emerging resistance. The methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP) is an ideal target for antimicrobial development as it is absent in humans but present in most bacteria and in the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Here, we report the synthesis and the kinetic parameters of a novel potent inhibitor (MEPN3) of Escherichia coli YgbP/IspD, the third enzyme of the MEP pathway. MEPN3 inhibits E. coli YgbP/IspD in mixed type mode regarding both substrates. Interestingly, MEPN3 shows the highest inhibitory activity when compared to known inhibitors of E. coli YgbP/IspD. The mechanism of this enzyme was also studied by steady state kinetic analysis and was found to be sequential where substrates add to the enzyme in sequential manner.

We designed a convergent synthesis pathway that provides access to trifunctional oligoethyleneglycol-amine (OEG-amine) linkers. By applying the reductive coupling of a primary azide to bifunctional OEG-azide precursors, the corresponding symmetrical dialkylamine bearing two homo-functional end chain groups and a central nitrogen was obtained. These building blocks bear minimal structural perturbation compared to the native OEG backbone which makes them attractive for biomedical applications. The NMR investigations of the mechanism process reveal the formation of nitrile and imine intermediates which can react with the reduced free amine form. Additionally, these trifunctional OEG-amine linkers were employed in a coupling reaction to afford branched multifunctional PEG dendrons which are molecularly defined. These discrete PEG-based dendrons (n = 16, 18 and 36) could be useful for numerous applications where multivalency is required.

Recently, it has been shown that the efficiency of antitumoral drugs can be enhanced when combined with therapeutic siRNAs. In the present study, an original platform based on polydiacetylenic micelles containing a cationic head group able to efficiently deliver a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the PLK-1 gene while offering a hydrophobic environment for encapsulation of lipophilic drugs such as camptothecin is developed. We demonstrate that the co-delivery of these two agents with our micellar system results in a synergistic tumor cell killing of cervical and breast cancer cell lines in vitro. The combined drugs are active in a subcutaneous in vivo cancer model. Altogether, the results show that our nanometric micellar delivery system can be used for the development of new drug–siRNA combo-therapies.

Dengue virus (DENV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, causes severe and potentially fatal symptoms in millions of infected individuals each year. Although dengue fever represents a major global public health problem, the vaccines or antiviral drugs proposed so far have not shown sufficient efficacy and safety, calling for new antiviral developments. Here we have shown that a mannoside glycolipid conjugate (MGC) bearing a trimannose head with a saturated lipid chain inhibited DENV productive infection. It showed remarkable cell promiscuity, being active in human skin dendritic cells, hepatoma cell lines and Vero cells, and was active against all four DENV serotypes, with an IC 50 in the low micromolar range. Time-of-addition experiments and structure-activity analyses revealed the importance of the lipid chain to interfere with an early viral infection step. This, together with a correlation between antiviral activity and membrane polarization by the lipid moiety indicated that the in-hibitor functions by blocking viral envelope fusion with the endosome membrane. These finding establish MGCs as a novel class of antivirals against the DENV.

Here, we introduce 4-azidophenyl glyoxal (APG) as an efficient plug-and-play reagent for the selective functionalisation of arginine residues in native antibodies. The selective reaction between APG and arginines’ guanidine groups allowed a facile introduction of azide groups on the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (plug stage). These pre-functionalised antibody–azide conjugates were then derivatised during the “play stage” via a biorthogonal cycloaddition reaction with different strained alkynes. This afforded antibody-fluorophore and antibody–oligonucleotide conjugates, all showing preserved antigen selectivity and high stability in human plasma. Due to a lower content of arginines compared to lysines in native antibodies, this approach is thus attractive for the preparation of more homogeneous conjugates. This method proved to be orthogonal to classical lysine-based conjugation and allowed straightforward generation of dual-payload antibody.

A new ring contraction of fused bis-lactams into spirolactams is presented here. In the presence of a triflate catalyst in various solvents under microwave irradiation, this rearrangement allows a clean conversion of some fused bicycles into spirocycles with good yields. The interest of this work thus lies in the use of activated 2,5-diketopiperazines as starting materials and demonstrates the wide range of applications of ring contraction reactions

Abstract We report the discovery of a new bioorthogonal click‐and‐release reaction involving iminosydnones and strained alkynes. This transformation leads to two products resulting from the ligation and fragmentation of iminosydnones under physiological conditions. Optimized iminosydnones were successfully used to design innovative cleavable linkers for protein modification, thus opening up new areas in the fields of drug release and target‐fishing applications. This click‐and‐release technology offers the possibility of exchanging tags on proteins for functionalized cyclooctynes under mild and bioorthogonal conditions.

The biochemical characteristics of hetero-bifunctional cross-linkers used in bioconjugates are of essential importance to the desired features of the final adduct (i.e. antibody-drug conjugates). These include stability in biological media, chemical and biological reactivities, cleavability under defined conditions, and solubility. In our previous work, we introduced a new amino-to-thiol linker, maleimidomethyl dioxane (MD), as an alternative to classical maleimide conjugation, with increased hydrophilicity and serum stability due to succinimidyl ring-opening. In this work, we investigate the generality of linkers containing a dioxoring with regard to their ability to self-hydrolyze and their surprising stability at a low pH. We synthesized four FRET probes which allowed us to address the stability of the dioxo-ring and to study the maleimide ring-opening and the thiol-exchange processes by means of detecting and measuring the generation of fluorescence. It was found that the ring expansion (from a 5- to a 6-membered ring) improved the stability of the probes in aqueous media, and the increase of the chain length between the dioxo-ring and the succinimide ring (from methylene to ethylene) decreased the rate of succinimidyl ring-opening.

Drugs, usually long acting and metabolically stable molecules, might be the source of adverse effects triggered by complex drug interactions, anaphylaxis and drug-induced coagulopathy. To circumvent this growing drug safety issue, we herein investigate the opportunity offered by bio-orthogonal chemistry for in vivo drug neutralization. We design a small-molecule anticoagulant drug (Warfarin) containing an azide group that acts as a safety pin. It allows drug deactivation and restoration of physiological coagulation via in vivo click reaction with a suitable cyclooctyne-based neutralizing agent. In this strategy, the new molecule formed by reaction of the drug and the antidote is deprived of biological activity and prone to fast renal clearance. This 'Click &Clear' approach lays ground for new strategies in designing drugs with switchable biophysical properties.

A novel generation of pH-responsive photopolymerized diacetylenic amphiphile (PDA) micelles with a diameter of 10 nm was designed and optimized for the intracellular delivery of siRNAs. Dialysis and photopolymerization of the micelles allowed a strong reduction of the cytotoxicity of the nanovector, while the hydrophilic histidine headgroup permitted enhancing the siRNA delivery potential by improving the endosomal escape via imidazole protonation. These PDA-micellar systems were fully characterized by DLS, TEM, and DOSY-NMR experiments. The resulting bioactive complexes of PDA-micelles with siRNA were shown to have an optimal size below 100 nm.

Abstract We report the synthesis and reactivity of 4‐fluorosydnones, a unique class of mesoionic dipoles displaying exquisite reactivity towards both copper‐catalyzed and strain‐promoted cycloaddition reactions with alkynes. Synthetic access to these new mesoionic compounds was granted by electrophilic fluorination of σ‐sydnone Pd II precursors in the presence of Selectfluor. Their reactions with terminal and cyclic alkynes were found to proceed very rapidly and selectively, affording 5‐fluoro‐1,4‐pyrazoles with bimolecular rate constants up to 10 4 m −1 s −1 , surpassing those documented in the literature with cycloalkynes. Kinetic studies were carried out to unravel the mechanism of the reaction, and the value of 4‐fluorosydnones was further highlighted by successful radiolabeling with [ 18 F]Selectfluor.

<div><p>The vast majority of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) are prepared through amine-to-thiol conjugation. To date, N-Succinimidyl-4-(maleimidomethyl) cyclohexanecarboxylate (SMCC) has been one of the most frequently applied reagents for the preparation of ADC and other functional conjugates. However, SMCC-based conjugates suffer from limited stability in blood circulation and from a hydrophobic character of the linker, which may give rise to major pharmacokinetic implications. To address this issue, we have developed a heterobifunctional analogue of a SMCC reagent, i.e., sodium 4-(maleimidomethyl)-1,3-dioxane-5-carbonyl)oxy)-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzenesulfonate (MDTF) for amine-to-thiol conjugation. By replacing the cyclohexyl ring in the SMCC structure with the 1,3-dioxane, we increased the hydrophilicity of the linker. A FRET probe based on MD linker was prepared and showed superior stability compared to the MCC linker in human plasma, as well as in a variety of aqueous buffers. A detailed investigation demonstrated an accelerated succinimide ring opening for MD linker, resulting in stabilized conjugates. Finally, the MDTF reagent was applied for the preparation of serum stable antibody-dye conjugate.</p></div>

Abstract The third generation of aminobiphenyl palladacycle pre‐catalyst “G3‐Xantphos” enables functionalization of peptides containing cysteine in high yields. The conjugation (bioconjugation) occurs chemoselectively at room temperature under biocompatible conditions. Extension of the method to protein functionalization allows selective bioconjugation of the trastuzumab antibody.

pH-Sensitive linkers designed to undergo selective hydrolysis at acidic pH compared to physiological pH can be used for the selective release of therapeutics at their site of action. In this paper, the hydrolytic cleavage of a wide variety of molecular structures that have been reported for their use in pH-sensitive delivery systems was examined. A wide variety of hydrolytic stability profiles were found among the panel of tested chemical functionalities. Even within a structural family, a slight modification of the substitution pattern has an unsuspected outcome on the hydrolysis stability. This work led us to establish a first classification of these groups based on their reactivities at pH 5.5 and their relative hydrolysis at pH 5.5 vs. pH 7.4. From this classification, four representative chemical functions were selected and studied in-vitro. The results revealed that only the most reactive functions underwent significant lysosomal cleavage, according to flow cytometry measurements. These last results question the acid-based mechanism of action of known drug release systems and advocate for the importance of an in-depth structure-reactivity study, using a tailored methodology, for the rational design and development of bio-responsive linkers.

In droplet-based microfluidic, fluorosurfactants are essential to ensure the stability of the emulsion. Beyond this primary role, fluorosurfactants can be engineered to provide droplet inner surface specific interaction characteristics with analyte present in droplet content. Despite the high potency of such capture system in terms of micro-compartmentalisation and surface/analyte ratio, only few studies have reported the use of the water/fluorinated oil interphase to immobilize target molecules. The difficult synthesis of the required functionalized fluorosurfactants needed for each application may account for this relative desertion. To make microdroplet capture approaches more straightforward, we have investigated a ready-to-use click chemistry-based approach that enables intra-droplet chemical modification. This strategy, which avoids tedious synthesis of complex fluorosurfactant, opens access to a wide variety of functional heads via copper-free click chemistry using a pre-functionalized fluorosurfactant which can be easily obtained in large scale. To demonstrate the efficiency of the click chemistry-based microdroplet surface functionalization, we have synthesized an azide fluorosurfactant capable of stabilizing microdroplets and performed a series of intra-droplet surface functionalizations by introducing fluorescent-labeled cycloalkyne derivatives in the aqueous phase. By doing so, we were able to demonstrate via polarization fluorescence that molecules from the aqueous phase could be efficiently captured at the inner droplet surface. Furthermore, we also showed that the density of azide functions at the inner surface could be adjusted by diluting the functionalized surfactant with a non-functionalized one. Fluorescence polarization analysis revealed that these dilutions result in the production of microdroplets with controlled azide surface density.

Bioconjugation methodologies have proven to play a central enabling role in the recent development of biotherapeutics and chemical biology approaches. Recent endeavours in these fields shed light on unprecedented chemical challenges to attain bioselectivity, biocompatibility, and biostability required by modern applications. In this review the current developments in various techniques of selective bond forming reactions of proteins and peptides were highlighted. The utility of each endogenous amino acid-selective conjugation methodology in the fields of biology and protein science has been surveyed with emphasis on the most relevant among reported transformations; selectivity and practical use have

A series of polydiacetylene (PDA) - based micelles were prepared from diacetylenic surfactant bearing polyethylene glycol, by increasing UV-irradiation times. These polymeric lipid micelles were analyzed by physicochemical methods, electron microscopy and NMR analysis. Cellular delivery of fluorescent dye suggests that adjusting the polymerization state is vital to reach the full in vitro potential of PDA-based delivery systems.

Abstract The concept of chelation‐assisted copper catalysis was employed for the development of new azides that display unprecedented reactivity in the copper(I)‐catalyzed azide–alkyne [3+2] cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. Azides that bear strong copper‐chelating moieties were synthesized; these functional groups allow the formation of azide copper complexes that react almost instantaneously with alkynes under diluted conditions. Efficient ligation occurred at low concentration and in complex media with only one equivalent of copper, which improves the biocompatibility of the CuAAC reaction. Furthermore, such a click reaction allowed the localization of a bioactive compound inside living cells by fluorescence measurements.

Bis-Boc-activated 2,5-diketopiperazines on reaction with potassium hydroxide or sodium methoxide in dry tetrahydrofuran led to Boc-protected hydantoins through an unprecedented ring contraction. This rearrangement was applied to several monosubstituted 2,5-diketopiperazines with good yields and regioselectivity.

We report the first molecular system that is responsive to both a bio-specific and a bio-orthogonal stimulus. This dual activation process was applied to the design of a biothiol-specific FRET-based fluorescent probe that could be turned-on via an original concept of quencher bleaching

The nitrosation of secondary nitro derivatives into ketones or oximes depending on the nitro substituents has been reinvestigated. The reaction efficiently takes place under neutral conditions thus allowing acid-sensitive substrates to be converted in very good yields. The generation of nitrosating species under such mild conditions is unprecedented. Mechanistic investigations strongly suggest that they result from the nucleophilic attack of the nitrite anion on the aci-nitro(nate) form of the secondary nitroalkane. The latter acts in turn as an auto-catalyst for its own transformation by means of the nitrosating species generated in situ from it.

4-Halogeno-sydnones were found to be efficient dipole partners for the strain promoted click reaction with bicyclo-[6.1.0]-nonyne. This bioorthogonal reaction has been applied to protein labeling.

Access to diastereoisomeric forms of original spirolactam frameworks and investigation of their folded potentials are depicted here. Taking advantage of a stereoselective ring-contraction reaction, the Transannular Rearrangement of Activated Lactams (TRAL), followed by two unprecedented tandem reactions, we describe here an efficient access to elegant spirocyclic scaffolds. After dimerization, NMR analyses, circular dichroism, SEM and molecular modelling indicated the existence of an attractive edifice able to fold and behave as a PPII helix, a common yet neglected peptidic secondary structure.

Chemical reactions always involve several molecules of two types, reactants and products. Existing data mining techniques, eg. Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) methods, deal with individual molecules only. In this article, we propose to use a Condensed Graph of Reaction (CGR) to merge all molecules involved in a reaction into one molecular graph. This allows one to consider reactions as pseudo-molecules and to develop QSAR models based on fragment descriptors. Then ISIDA (In SIlico Design and Analysis) fragment descriptors built from CGRs are used to generate models for the rate constant of S N 2 reactions in water, using three usual attribute-value regression algorithms (linear regression, support vector machine, and regression trees). This approach is compared favorably to two state-of-the-art relational data mining techniques.

Abstract A mass spectrometry (MS) method was developed to rapidly analyze crude reaction mixtures. This method relies on highly effective ionization by atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) of molecules with a prosthetic trimethoxyarene (TMOA) residue. In a crude reaction mixture, products resulting from the reaction of the TMOA‐labeled substrate will be selectively ionized to afford an easily readable mass spectrum. Interestingly, we noticed that TMOA‐labeled molecules were not fragmented and gave the preferred [M + H] + ion peak. This APPI‐MS reaction mixture analysis method was used for the optimization of heterocycle synthesis. By comparing results obtained by APPI/MS, GC, and HPLC analysis, it appeared that a semi‐quantification could be achieved by integrating the MS peak intensities.

Abstract Several phosphinoylimines have been synthesized in five steps by starting from the appropriate phosphane oxide and were then treated with methylmagnesium bromide to give both diastereoisomers in high yields and with promising diastereomeric ratios. Then N ‐[( tert ‐butyl)(phenyl)phosphinoyl]benzaldimine, which displayed the best results, was subjected to the 1,2‐addition of various Grignard reagents to evaluate the best chiral induction due to the stereogenic phosphorus atom. The corresponding adducts were obtained in excellent yields and with moderate to excellent diastereoisomeric ratios.

Nerve agents are highly toxic organophosphorus compounds with strong inhibition potency against acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Herein, we describe two first extremely promising uncharged reactivators for poisoned human AChE with a superior or similar in vitro ability to reactivate the enzyme as compared to that of HI-6, obidoxime, TMB-4 and HLö-7.

Abstract A high‐throughput screening method has highlighted the marked antioxidant activity of some pulvinic acid derivatives (PADs) towards oxidation of thymidine, under γ and UV irradiation, and Fenton‐like conditions. Here, we report the synthesis of a series of new hydrophilic PADs and the evaluation of their radioprotective efficacy in cell culture. Using a cell‐based fluorescent assay, we show that some of these compounds have a pronounced ability to prevent cell death caused by radiation and to allow the subsequent resumption of proliferation. Thus, PADs may be considered as a novel class of radioprotective agents.

A tandem aza-FriedeleCrafts reaction/Hantzsch cyclization is described to access various polysubstituted 2-amino-1,3-thiazoles from electron-rich (hetero)-aromatic rings, aldehydes, thiourea and a-chloroketones.

The effect of photopolymerization on the structure, stability and encapsulation properties of polydiacetylene micelles containing nitrilotriacetic acid head groups are investigated. Micellar nanostructures of 7–10 nm diameter are identified that are invariant after polymerization. In the micelles, the polymerized ene-yne chains are much shorter than in planar lipid membranes. SANS confirmed the presence of a monodisperse population of small particles before and after polymerization. It is shown that the CMC decreases manifold after micelle photopolymerization, indicating that it stabilizes the micellar structure. After photopolymerization, these micelles preserved their strong ability to solubilize a hydrophobic pigment, which makes them potentially interesting as drug delivery vehicles.

N-Methyl-N-(pentacosa-10,12-diyn)-propargylamine organizes itself into an unusual supramolecular pH- and thermo-responsive system. Studies have showed that submillimetric length hollow laths form this unique structure in the presence of hydrochloric acid. Specific chemical modifications on the initial molecule and small-angle neutron scattering experiments were performed to understand the structure of this system. Our results allow us to suggest a possible structure of the laths.

A new pro-fluorescent probe aimed at a HTS assay of scavengers is able to selectively and efficiently cleave the P-S bond of organophosphorus nerve agents and by this provides non-toxic phosphonic acid has been designed and synthesised. The previously described pro-fluorescent probes were based on a conventional activated P-Oaryl bond cleavage, whereas our approach uses a self-immolative linker strategy that allows the detection of phosphonothioase activity with respect to a non-activated P-Salkyl bond. Further, we have also developed and optimised a high-throughput screening assay for the selection of decontaminants (chemical or biochemical scavengers) that could efficiently hydrolyse highly toxic V-type nerve agents. A preliminary screening, realised on a small alpha-nucleophile library, allowed us to identify some preliminary "hits", among which pyridinealdoximes, alpha-oxo oximes, hydroxamic acids and, less active but more original, amidoximes were the most promising. Their selective phosphonothioase activity has been further confirmed by using PhX as the substrate, and thus they offer new perspectives for the synthesis of more potent V nerve agent scavengers.

No abstract available

alpha-Mono- or alpha-dialkylated aldehydes undergo cyclotrimerization in the presence of dibromotriphenylphosphorane (PPh(3)Br(2)) to afford cyclopentenones or tetrasubstituted tetrahydrofurans in good yields. These transformations proceed by a tandem aldol dimerization/Nazarov reaction or a tandem aldol dimerization/Prins cyclization.

We describe here the biological screening of a collection of natural occurring triterpenoids against the G protein-coupled receptor TGR5, known to be activated by bile acids and which mediates some important cell functions. This work revealed that betulinic (1), oleanolic (2), and ursolic acid (3) exhibited TGR5 agonist activity in a selective manner compared to bile acids, which also activated FXR, the nuclear bile acid receptor. The most potent natural triterpenoid betulinic acid was chosen as a reference compound for an SAR study. Hemisyntheses were performed on the betulinic acid scaffold, and we focused on structural modifications of the C-3 alcohol, the C-17 carboxylic acid, and the C-20 alkene. In particular, structural variations around the C-3 position gave rise to major improvements of potency exemplified with derivatives 18 dia 2 (RG-239) and 19 dia 2. The best derivative was tested in vitro and in vivo, and its biological profile is discussed.

<div><p>Les défis environnementaux et sociétaux associés au dérèglement climatique et à l'érosion de la biodiversité posent la question cruciale de l'habitabilité de notre planète à court terme. La CID 52 Environnements Sociétés : du savoir à l'action développe une approche scientifique collective, interdisciplinaire et concertée pour répondre à cet enjeu, en cherchant des méthodologies et des solutions innovantes, inclusives et respectueuses des socio-écosystèmes. Face à l'urgence de la situation, la commission insiste sur les nécessaires collaborations entre scientifiques, décideurs et citoyens pour coproduire des solutions utiles et transformantes d'adaptation des sociétés aux changements globaux. Ces solutions explorent ainsi les changements sociaux, technologiques et des approches fondées sur la nature. Le rapport met aussi en avant l'importance d'une évaluation durable des solutions, tout en promouvant l'interdisciplinarité pour répondre aux crises globales. La CID 52 propose de renommer la commission Socioécosystèmes et crise environnementale globale : enjeux, savoirs et méthodologies pour des solutions durables, reflétant mieux l'intégration de ces recherches dans les politiques publiques pour une assimilation et une adaptation efficace et durable des populations humaines et non-humaines.</p></div>

Ces travaux de thèse s'inscrivent dans un projet à long terme concernant le développement de nouvelles réactions de contraction de cycle originales afin d'accéder à des édifices moléculaires organisés à activités biologiques potentielles. Généralement découvertes de manière fortuite, les réactions de contraction de cycle sont des réarrangements offrant l'avantage de modifier rapidement le squelette des molécules et permettant donc un accès facile à des analogues structurels, une propriété intéressante et utile aussi bien en chimie de synthèse qu'en chimie médicinale. Dans cette optique, trois réactions de contraction de cycle différentes ainsi que leurs applications seront rapportées dans ce manuscrit. La première décrit la réactivité particulière des bis-Boc 2,5-dicétopipérazines (DKPs) en milieu basique et leur conversion en hydantoïnes, deux squelettes hétérocycliques d'intérêt pharmacologique. Ce nouveau réarrangement a été appliqué à différentes DKPs avec des rendements satisfaisants et de bons excès énantio- ou diastéréoiso-mériques. L'intérêt des bis-Boc DKPs en tant que plateforme de départ dans la construction de structures complexes a ensuite été démontré lors de l'obtention de spirolactames grâce à l'utilisation de la réaction de réarrangement transannulaire de lactames activés (TRAL) et la mise au point d'une stratégie de cyclisation rapide et efficace. Après dimérisation de ces bicycles, les études par dichroïsme circulaire, RMN et modélisation moléculaire ont mis en évidence un comportement similaire à celui d'hélices de polyproline II (PPII), des structures peptidiques secondaires largement impliquées dans les interactions protéine-protéine et dans des processus pathogènes. Afin de valider le potentiel de mimes de nos dimères, une fonctionnalisation de ces substrats s'est avérée nécessaire, qui a été en partie réalisée grâce à la découverte d'une nouvelle réaction de contraction de cycle. Effectuée à chaud dans plusieurs solvants et en présence d'un catalyseur de type triflate, ce réarrangement permet la conversion de quelques bicycles accolés en spirocycles avec de bons rendements. L'intérêt de ces travaux réside ainsi sur l'utilisation de 2,5-dicétopipérazines activées comme substrat de départ et démontre la gamme d'applications multiples des réactions de contraction de cycle.