Discovery of a selective PI3Kα inhibitor via structure-based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally, driving an urgent need for effective therapies. A promising avenue of research focuses on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway, which is frequently disrupted by mutations in the PI3Kα subunit. Our cutting-edge stud...

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Main Authors: Hussam Albassam, Omar Almutairi, Majed Alnasser, Faisal Altowairqi, Faris Almutairi, Saad Alobid
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14756366.2025.2468852
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author Hussam Albassam
Omar Almutairi
Majed Alnasser
Faisal Altowairqi
Faris Almutairi
Saad Alobid
author_facet Hussam Albassam
Omar Almutairi
Majed Alnasser
Faisal Altowairqi
Faris Almutairi
Saad Alobid
author_sort Hussam Albassam
collection DOAJ
description Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally, driving an urgent need for effective therapies. A promising avenue of research focuses on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway, which is frequently disrupted by mutations in the PI3Kα subunit. Our cutting-edge study employed a structure-based virtual screening of ∼3000 compounds, leading to the discovery of F0608-0019, a highly potent and selective PI3Kα inhibitor. F0608-0019 demonstrated remarkable efficacy in suppressing HCT116 colorectal cancer cell proliferation, with an IC50 of 12.14 µM, while maintaining high selectivity by minimising activity against other PI3K isoforms. Advanced molecular dynamics simulations highlighted the stability of F0608-0019’s binding interactions with key amino acids, such as TRP:780, ILE:932, and VAL:850, which are critical for its targeted action. These exciting findings reveal F0608-0019 as a leading candidate for innovative CRC therapies that selectively target PI3Kα dysregulation, offering promising new possibilities for effective CRC treatment.
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issn 1475-6366
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language English
publishDate 2025-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
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series Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry
spelling doaj-art-f7881c4a34b84fbda74cb1a98cda0fd52025-08-20T02:30:13ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry1475-63661475-63742025-12-0140110.1080/14756366.2025.2468852Discovery of a selective PI3Kα inhibitor via structure-based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapyHussam Albassam0Omar Almutairi1Majed Alnasser2Faisal Altowairqi3Faris Almutairi4Saad Alobid5Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaColorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally, driving an urgent need for effective therapies. A promising avenue of research focuses on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway, which is frequently disrupted by mutations in the PI3Kα subunit. Our cutting-edge study employed a structure-based virtual screening of ∼3000 compounds, leading to the discovery of F0608-0019, a highly potent and selective PI3Kα inhibitor. F0608-0019 demonstrated remarkable efficacy in suppressing HCT116 colorectal cancer cell proliferation, with an IC50 of 12.14 µM, while maintaining high selectivity by minimising activity against other PI3K isoforms. Advanced molecular dynamics simulations highlighted the stability of F0608-0019’s binding interactions with key amino acids, such as TRP:780, ILE:932, and VAL:850, which are critical for its targeted action. These exciting findings reveal F0608-0019 as a leading candidate for innovative CRC therapies that selectively target PI3Kα dysregulation, offering promising new possibilities for effective CRC treatment.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14756366.2025.2468852Colorectal cancerPI3K signalling pathwayPI3Kα inhibitorcancer drug discoverystructure-based virtual screening
spellingShingle Hussam Albassam
Omar Almutairi
Majed Alnasser
Faisal Altowairqi
Faris Almutairi
Saad Alobid
Discovery of a selective PI3Kα inhibitor via structure-based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapy
Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry
Colorectal cancer
PI3K signalling pathway
PI3Kα inhibitor
cancer drug discovery
structure-based virtual screening
title Discovery of a selective PI3Kα inhibitor via structure-based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapy
title_full Discovery of a selective PI3Kα inhibitor via structure-based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapy
title_fullStr Discovery of a selective PI3Kα inhibitor via structure-based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapy
title_full_unstemmed Discovery of a selective PI3Kα inhibitor via structure-based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapy
title_short Discovery of a selective PI3Kα inhibitor via structure-based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapy
title_sort discovery of a selective pi3kα inhibitor via structure based virtual screening for targeted colorectal cancer therapy
topic Colorectal cancer
PI3K signalling pathway
PI3Kα inhibitor
cancer drug discovery
structure-based virtual screening
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14756366.2025.2468852
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