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 drug discovery services team is conversant with handling:

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.