
Drug Discovery

Our scientific team has a wide range of expertise in performing chemistries with varying levels of complexity and is amply supported by the required technology driven infrastructure. The team is conversant with handling:
- Heterocycles
- Macrocyclic building blocks
- Organometallics
- Chiral chemistry
- Phosphonates
- Metal mediated transformations
- Stability studies
- fluorine and boron chemistry
Also, we have a proven track record across the following specialized classes:
- Isolation, identification, characterization and synthesis of natural products
- Solid and solution phase synthesis of peptides
- Synthesis of nucleosides & nucleotides building blocks
- Linkers and drug conjugates for ADCs
- Carbohydrates & azasugars
- PEG-Lipids and unnatural amino acids
- PROTAC chemistry
All the above chemistry classes can be executed in multiple batches from mg to kg scales.
We understand that tackling and delivering different modalities of chemistry, from
completely exploratory to previously reported/literature supported chemistry, demands
different approaches. However, the following parameters still remain the fundamental bases
to design our approach viz. structural aspects of the target compound(s), safety
requirements, scales of delivery, specifications, literature support, complexity,
exploration, reagents & catalysts involved, overall cost related aspects, etc.
In an order to devise the syntheses of completely exploratory and novel molecules, we
come-up with different schemes by drawing upon our previous experience and applying
speculations to different synthetic pathways. Then, we narrow down on the most plausible
scheme(s) considering the parameters like the number of steps, required scales of delivery,
reactivity, yields and overall economy, etc. Once we have the most suitable route identified
we execute the scheme in a stepwise manner by monitoring the reaction variables &
conditions.
For the more exploratory projects we also recommend a short feasibility study to ascertain a
proof of concept before executing things at a larger scale. Alternatively, the molecules
with already established synthetic routes & available protocols move to a more
delivery-focused approach. Here the stepwise and overall cost and time efficiency get the
major focus with the help of tools like Reaxys and SciFinder, to explore the data on
chemical reactions and other literature. If the project demands optimization for a larger
scale we also perform a small feasibility study, mostly in parallel, at a smaller scale, and
then a subsequent scale-up considering the most preferred route. In terms of scaling up our
efforts we have historically conducted scale-ups from mg to multiple batches of kg scale for
a final delivery of up to tens of kgs under custom synthesis.
To ascertain our progress and avoid any wasteful reactions, we perform regular NMR and LCMS
checks at each step to gather and correlate the expected and real time stability data.
Finally, the chemists work closely to make sure that final compound(s) meet or exceed the
purity specification and get custom weighed in preferred vials. These compounds can then be
stored under controlled conditions or shipped, based on their order of priority, to any
particular or multiple locations anywhere across the globe.
In terms of operational aspects, we dedicate a team to each individual project with a
typical PhD to MSc ratio of 1:5 and with each of them having several years of relevant
industrial experience. These resources working on-bench are considered as billable
resources. This team works under the guidance of a project manager who oversees the daily
activities of his respective team(s). Furthermore, a project manager is helped by a project
lead, who also happens to be the single point of contact for the clients for all the written
and telecommunications. Each project lead monitors and provides his technical,
non-technical, and managerial inputs for the smooth functioning of his projects. The Project
managers and project leads remain non-billable resources for each collaboration. However, if
desired, bigger collaborations do get the option to have dedicated project managers and
project leads depending on their requirements and the size of the collaborations. We also
conduct periodic reviews and team meetings, of each team, with the site-head to make sure
that the communication flow is optimal from bottom-to-top and vice-versa.
Each project specific core synthetic chemistry team is very well supported by the cross
functional teams like analytical chemistry, program management, and supply chain management.
In addition to this, we also expose and train all our scientists on multiple methodologies
and across multiple business models to broaden their perspective and purview of delivery
shall there be a need.
Since this team works in a very close collaboration with the supply chain management team we
maintain a dynamic database of preferred vendors for project specific starting materials and
consumables. This vendor qualification is done considering the guidelines laid down by the
QA team, their past track records, economy and delivery turnaround times, etc. We also
utilize smart tools like SmartChem to segregate vendors details and shortlist the right ones
quickly. Furthermore, we also have a readily available centralized inventory of the most
used chemicals and reagents in-house.
Having and building a portfolio of scientific platforms we also have a technology-based
division of teams for the scientific platforms we have in place. Our decorated Scientific
Advisory Board (SAB) conducts remote and in-person periodic trainings across their areas of
expertise, training their respective teams working on novel applications of these platforms.
The SAB also tracks progress, addresses the technology specific challenges and trains the
team on recent advancements, etc. To take an example our photo and electrochemistry teams
work on generating some novel building blocks and libraries which are not possible through
conventional chemistry approaches.
Key Aspects
- Regular project health monitoring (PHM), fortnightly, for tracking the progress, gap analysis, and value addition.
- Pre-defined client driven productivity metrics.
- In-house developed tools for tracking Raw material usage and sourcing.
- Dedicated flash chromatography and ELSD for lab scale purification for each lab- REVELERIS® and combiflash purification systems.
- Collaboration specific dedicated report writing areas with restricted access.
- Monowave systems for small scale microwave synthesis and lyophilizers for freeze drying.
- ELN support: CDD, Scilligence, Signals by PE, Arxspan, Etc.
- Reaxys, and SciFinder access for all chemists.
- Secure e-rooms for data sharing- SharePoint and ShareFile.
- Restricted entry To synthetic chemistry, And analytical Labs.