A research team from pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma and Shimadzu Corporation jointly developed a robot-based high-throughput experimental method, reportedly advancing the construction of an environment capable of evaluating large numbers of reaction conditions simultaneously.
The initiative, which began in spring 2022, reportedly arose from challenges identified at research sites, against the backdrop of the need to establish stable manufacturing methods for promising drug candidates. Given the current need to examine approximately 20 process steps from raw materials to active pharmaceutical ingredients as chemical synthesis drugs become more complex, the introduction of high-throughput methods was reportedly pursued to broaden the scope of exploration.
The research team reportedly worked to establish a semiautomated high-throughput experimental method and, in cooperation with Shimadzu Corporation, tackled the challenge of achieving both stability and automation. In the process of overcoming technical barriers, including the automated closing of caps, the team reportedly enabled the simultaneous evaluation of multiple conditions while reducing the workload involved in practical implementation.
Through this initiative, the evaluation of reaction conditions, previously performed manually at approximately 10 cases per week, reportedly expanded to 2,000 under the same experimental environment. Experiments can also now be conducted with as little as approximately 5 mg of material, reportedly broadening the range of candidate compounds that can be evaluated during the early stages of development.
The method is currently being used across multiple projects, including anticancer drugs, and the expansion of data utilization, with a view to AI-assisted decision-making, has been cited as a future prospect.
The initiative is reportedly based on the view that the passion of research teams and deeper collaboration will lead to the faster creation of higher-quality value.