Small molecule apoptosis promoters

A compound of formula (I):

• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate form thereof;
• and including any stereoisomeric forms thereof;
• wherein each of ring A and ring A′ independently represents a saturated 3-8 membered monocyclic azacyclic ring or a saturated 8-12 membered fused polycyclic azacyclic ring, each of which may contain 0-2 additional heteroatoms selected from N, O, S as ring members;
• and wherein ring A is substituted with a group represented as —W—X, and ring A′ is substituted with a group represented as W′—X′, and each of ring A and ring A′ may be optionally substituted with from 1-4 additional substituents suitable for its structure;
• each J and J′ is independently H, CN, C1-C4 alkyl or C1-C4 alkyloxycarbonyl;
• each W and W′ independently represents C═O, C═S, or an optionally substituted C2-C6 alkylene or C2-C6 heteroalkylene;
• or W and/or W′ can be a bond where X and/or X′ comprises an optionally substituted 5-membered or 6-membered aryl or heteroaryl ring;
• each X and X′ independently represents an optionally substituted C5-C20 ring system comprising at least one aromatic ring and up to four heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, and can represent either a single 5-15 membered cyclic group or two 5-10 membered cyclic groups that are both attached to the same atom of W or W′, provided that each X and X′ comprises at least one aryl or heteroaryl ring;
• each Q and Q′ independently represents —CH2—, —CH(OR)—, —CH(R)—, —(CH2)rA-, —CH(R)A-, or —CR═CR— or —C≡C—, wherein r is 1-4, each A is independently O, NR, or S, and wherein each R is independently H, C1-C8 alkyl or C1-C8 heteroalkyl;
• or one or both of Q and Q′ can be a bond where L comprises a ring;
• each R1 and R1′ is independently H or optionally substituted C1-C4 alkyl;
• each Z and Z′ is independently an optionally substituted C1-C6 aminoalkyl;
• and
• L represents a linker that is a C2-C20 hydrocarbyl group, optionally containing from 1-6 heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, which linker is 2 to 10 atoms in length when counted along the shortest path between Q and Q′, and which may be optionally substituted;
• with the proviso that L does not comprise a disulfide bond.

A compound of formula (II):

• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate form thereof;
• and including any stereoisomeric forms thereof;
• wherein J is H, CN, C1-C4 alkyl or C1-C4 alkyloxycarbonyl;
• W represents C═O, C═S, or an optionally substituted C2-C6 alkylene or C2-C6 heteroalkylene;
• or W can be a bond where X comprises an optionally substituted 5-membered or 6-membered aryl or heteroaryl ring;
• X represents an optionally substituted C5-C20 ring system comprising at least one aromatic ring and up to four heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, and can represent either a single 5-15 membered cyclic group or two 5-10 membered cyclic groups that are both attached to the same atom of W, provided that each X comprises at least one aryl or heteroaryl ring;
• U represents C1-C8 alkyl, C1-C8 heteroalkyl, C2-C8 alkenyl, C2-C8 heteroalkenyl, C2-C8 alkynyl, C2-C8 heteroalkynyl, C1-C6 aminoalkyl, C5-C12 aryl, C5-C12 heteroaryl, C5-C20 arylalkyl or C5-C20 heteroarylalkyl, each of which may be optionally substituted;
• with the proviso that U is not isopropyl;
• R1 is H or optionally substituted C1-C4 alkyl;
• and
• Z is an optionally substituted C1-C6 aminoalkyl wherein the amine may be in a protected or unprotected form.