US Patent 7344851 Anticancer agents based on prevention of protein prenylation

Prenylating enzymes are involved in modifying oncoproteins, such as RAS, so that growth of neoplastic cells becomes uncontrolled. Inactivation of such enzymes can prevent uncontrolled growth. α-Dicarbonyl compounds can be used to covalently modify and thereby inactivate prenylating enzymes such as protein farnesyltransferase and protein geranylgeranyltransferase. The compounds can be designed to enhance affinity and/or specificity for a particular protein substrate.