Kevin van Eekelen

Mr. Kevin van Eekelen

Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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19 March 2022 in Molecules
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ELElena Maria Loi
Elena Maria Loi
Tihomir TomašičTihomir Tomašič
Tihomir Tomašič
CBCyril Balsollier
Cyril Balsollier
KEKevin van Eekelen
Kevin van Eekelen
MWMatjaž Weiss
Matjaž Weiss
MAMarko Anderluh
Marko Anderluh
O-GlcNAcylation is an essential post-translational modification installed by the enzyme O-β-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminyl transferase (OGT). Modulating this enzyme would be extremely valuable to better understand its role in the development of serious human pathologies, such as diabetes and cancer. However, the limited availability of potent and selective inhibitors hinders the validation of this potential therapeutic target. To explore new chemotypes that target the active site of OGT, we performed virtual screening of a large library of commercially available compounds with drug-like properties. We purchased samples of the most promising virtual hits and used enzyme assays to identify authentic leads. Structure-activity relationships of the best identified OGT inhibitor were explored by generating a small library of derivatives. Our best hit displays a novel uridine mimetic scaffold and inhibited the recombinant enzyme with an IC50 value of 7 µM. The current hit represents an excellent starting point for designing and developing a new set of OGT inhibitors that may prove useful for exploring the biology of OGT.