Small Molecule CXCR4 Chemokine Receptor Antagonists: Developing Drug Candidates

Chemokine receptors are a target of growing interest for new therapeutic drugs, as their role in multiple disease states has been demonstrated. The CXCR4/ CXCL12 pairing has been implicated in HIV and cancer, as well as chronic inflammatory diseases, including asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. HIV uses CXCR4 or CCR5 receptors in the key binding step of the infection process, leading to the idea that drugs could be developed to block this...