Rapid Evolution of 6-Phenylpurine Inhibitors of Protein Kinase B through Structure-Based Design

6-phenylpurines were identified as novel, ATP-competitive inhibitors of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) from a fragment-based screen and were rapidly progressed to potent compounds using iterative protein-ligand crystallography with a PKA-PKB chimeric protein. An elaborated lead compound showed cell growth inhibition and effects on cellular signaling pathways characteristic of PKB inhibition.