In Silico Discovery of a Novel Potential Allosteric PI3Kα Inhibitor Incorporating 3-(2-Chloro-5-fluorophenyl)isoindolin-1-one to Target Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase alpha (PI3Kα) is frequently mutated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), leading to the constitutive activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, which promotes tumor cell proliferation, survival, and metastasis. PI3Kα allosteric inhibitors demonstrate therapeutic potential as both monotherapy and combination therapy, particularly in patients with <i>PIK3CA</i> mutations or resistance to immunotherapy, through the precise targeting of mutant PI3Kα. Compared to ATP-competitive PI3Kα inhibitors such as Alpelisib, the allosteric inhibitor <b>RLY-2608</b> exhibits enhanced selectivity for mutant PI3Kα while minimizing the inhibition of wild-type PI3Kα, thereby reducing side effects such as hyperglycemia. To date, no allosteric PI3Kα inhibitors have been approved for clinical use. To develop novel PI3Kα inhibitors with improved safety and efficacy, we employed a scaffold hopping approach to structurally modify <b>RLY-2608</b> and constructed a compound library. Based on the structural information of the PI3Kα allosteric site, we conducted the systematic virtual screening of 11,550 molecules from databases to identify lead compounds. Through integrated approaches, including molecular docking studies, target validation, druggability evaluation, molecular dynamics simulations, and metabolic pathway and metabolite analyses, we successfully identified a promising novel allosteric PI3Kα inhibitor, <b>H-18</b> (3-(2-chloro-5-fluorophenyl)isoindolin-1-one). <b>H-18</b> has not been previously reported as a PI3Kα inhibitor, and provides an excellent foundation for subsequent lead optimization, offering a significant starting point for the development of more potent PI3Kα allosteric inhibitors.