Heterocyclic inhibitors of ERK2 and uses thereof

A method of treating a cancer selected from melanoma, colon cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney carcinoma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, or prostate cancer, which method comprises administering to said patient a compound of formula I:

• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein:
• Sp is a 5-membered heteroaromatic ring, selected from pyrrole, imidazole, pyrazole, triazole, oxazole, isoxazole, 1,3-thiazole, 1,2-thiazole, or furan, wherein Ring A and QR2 are attached to Sp at non-adjacent positions;
• and wherein Sp has up to two R6 substituents, provided that two substitutable carbon ring atoms in Sp are not simultaneously substituted by R6;
• Z1 is CH and Z2 is CH;
• T is a linker group selected from —NH—, —CH2—, —CO—, or a saturated or unsaturated C1-6 alkylidene chain which is optionally substituted, and wherein up to two saturated carbons of the chain are optionally replaced by —C(O)—, —C(O)C(O)—, —CONR7—, —CONR7NR7—, —CO2—, —OC(O)—, —NR7CO2—, —O—, —NR7CONR7—, —OC(O)NR7—, —NR7NR7—, —NR7CO—, —S—, —SO—, —SO2—, —NR7—, —SO2NR7—, or —NR7SO2—;
• Q is —CO2—, —C(O)NR7—, or —S(O)2NR7—;
• U is selected from —NR7—, —NR7CO—, —NR7CONR7—, —NR7CO2—, —O—, —CONR7—, —CO—, —CO2—, —OC(O)—, —NR7SO2—, —SO2NR7—, —NR7SO2NR7—, or —SO2—;
• m and n are each independently selected from zero or one;
• R1 is selected from hydrogen, CN, halogen, R, N(R7)2, OR, or OH;
• R2 is selected from —(CH2)yR5, —(CH2)yCH(R5)2, —(CH2)yCH(R8)CH(R5)2, —N(R4)2, or —NR4(CH2)yN(R4)2;
• y is 0–6;
• R3 is selected from R7, R, —(CH2)yCH(R8)R, CN, —(CH2)yCH(R8)CH(R5)2, or —(CH2)yCH(R8)N(R4)2;
• each R is independently selected from an optionally substituted group selected from C1-6 aliphatic, C6-10 aryl, a heteroaryl ring having 5–10 ring atoms, or a heterocyclyl ring having 3–10 ring atoms;
• each R4 is independently selected from R, R7, —COR7, —CO2R, —CON(R7)2, —SO2R7, —(CH2)yR5, or —(CH2)yCH(R5)2;
• each R5 is independently selected from R, OR, CO2R, (CH2)yN(R7)2, N(R7)2, OR7, SR7, NR7COR7, NR7CON(R7)2, CON(R7)2, SO2R7, NR7SO2R7, COR7, CN, or SO2N(R7)2;
• each R6 is independently selected from R7, F, Cl, OR7, SR7, NR7COR7, NR7CON(R7)2, CON(R7)2, SO2R7, NR7SO2R7, COR7, CN, or SO2N(R7)2;
• each R7 is independently selected from hydrogen or an optionally substituted C1-6 aliphatic group, or two R7 on the same nitrogen are taken together with the nitrogen to form a 5–8 membered heterocyclyl or heteroaryl ring;
• R8 is selected from R, (CH2)wOR7, (CH2)wN(R4)2, or (CH2)wSR7;
• and
• each w is independently selected from 0–4.