Structure-based virtual screening of a commercial library identified pentanedioic acid derivatives (6 and 13b) as a kind of novel scaffold farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs). Chemical modifications of the lead compounds, biological assays and analysis of the structure–activity relationships (SAR) were conducted to discover more potent FTIs. Some of them displayed excellent inhibition against FTase, and among them, the most active compound 13n with an IC50 value of 0.0029 μM and SAR analysis might be helpful to the discovery of more potent FTIs.
