Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Isoform-Selective Akt3 Degraders

Akt3, a serine/threonine kinase within the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, is overactivated in various cancers, making it a promising therapeutic target. The research aimed to create compounds that selectively degrade Akt3, sparing Akt1 and Akt2, to enhance the clinical benefits. A series of compounds with different linkers and E3 ligands were synthesized and evaluated for their degradation potencies and selectivity. The findings showed that the linker length and E3 ligand type significantly influenced Akt3 degradation. Compound 12 was identified as a potent and selective Akt3 degrader in multiple cancer cell lines. Proteomic analysis confirmed the specificity of this degrader for Akt3, with minimal off-target effects. However, compound 12 did not exhibit significant antiproliferative activity in the cancer cell lines.