Human neutral ceramidase (nCDase) is an enzyme that plays a critical role in colon cancer and there are currently no potent or clinically effective inhibitors for nCDase reported to date. Inhibitors of nCDase were identified via a high-throughput screening effort of large chemical libraries at Scripps Research. Multiple rounds of chemical optimization ensued with improved potency in terms of IC50 and selectivity over counterscreen assays. The crystal structure of nCDase has been solved and these leads are now being pursued in crystal docking studies and in vitro drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK).[2]