Vaibhav Shrivastava’s Post

I’ve never really been a synthetic methodology guy. My passion has always been the use of pre-developed methodology to synthesise small molecules that have interesting biological properties. In 2024, I put my passion to good use by supporting a diverse array of Concept Life Sciences client projects. There is a vast array of chemotypes being worked on in the synthetic organic chemistry community requiring creative synthesis. Indeed, one of my reasons for sharing my personal opinions on the current synthetic literature is because this motivates me to scroll through my RSS feeds, read papers and extract the key findings allowing me to drive continuous improvement in my chemistry teams. Writing 300-400 words summarising key literature and then putting it into a wider context takes time – but I think worth it. Reading papers allows me to spot trends and identify what is ‘hot’. One subject that is scorching right now is the use of electrochemistry to initiate novel reactions and access unexplored areas of chemical space. Indeed, I am currently working with our outstanding industrial placement student Finlay Garratt who is using electrochemistry to make some novel small molecule building blocks which I hope will result in them becoming commercially available – we are super excited to share our work soon! To illustrate the utility of new electrochemical methods, look no further than this paper by the Baran group: https://lnkd.in/eYJu_Dzq. In the course of their work towards the total synthesis of dragocins A-C, they have developed an electrochemical etherification to form a medium-sized ring. Upon reading the paper, I didn’t get the feeling that the group planned on this approach as they tried a number of other strategies which failed. The only way to get the job done was using electrochemistry – something we should all take note of. Welcome to the future – it’s electrochemical ⚡ #OrganicSynthesis #MedicinalChemistry #Electrochemistry #Pharmaceuticals #DrugDiscovery #Methodology #CPD

Analytical chemistry in front of the curtain!  Our feature article published this month in ABC discusses the enabling role of analytical chemistry in important fields of research and development incl. life sciences, material sciences and environmental sciences. It also comments on the often limited visibility of analytical sciences in the public perception and suggests ways to overcome this shortcoming and to create bigger impact. Worth a read 😀 https://lnkd.in/d_jsu78c

The role of analytical chemistry in important fields of research and its limited visibility of analytical sciences in the public perception.

This feature article discusses the enabling role of analytical chemistry in important fields of research and development such as life science, material sciences and environmental sciences. It comments on the often limited visibility of analytical sciences in the public perception and suggests ways to overcome this shortcoming and to create bigger impact. (Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2024) https://lnkd.in/d5PFBhpu

At Concept Life Sciences, we are passionate about synthetic chemistry and preparing small molecules for our client’s projects – expediting their journey from Concept through to Clinic. We offer small scale synthesis of tool compounds & chemical probes to validate a drug target through to the manufacture of kilogram quantities of API and everything in between. We rely on the ever-growing primary scientific literature to support everything we do in the laboratory, from designing synthetic routes to targets, to identifying the best reaction conditions and to support problem solving. We also use the literature to update the methods we employ in the lab to be as high yielding, green and economical as possible. In order to remain cutting-edge, we have a literature highlights team who browse >20 chemistry journals, selecting articles that are applicable to the projects we work on, and summarising the work in a few easily digestible bullet-points. Last month, we decided to make our literature highlights available to the synthetic organic chemistry community. We hope that this resource will support: problem solving, sustainability, methodology change and most importantly – future patients, who will benefit from the drugs that result from these new chemical processes. The creation of Issue 2 has been led by Dr. Jun Miyatake Ondozabal and Robert Starley and features an array of diverse fields including catalysis, photochemistry and green chemistry. The team found a new sustainable methylation reaction protocol using an aqueous sodium tosylate – methyl tosylate solution, a hidden gem recently published in Green Chemistry which should have got more attention, and a new ligand for the copper-catalysed etherification of aryl bromides – something that we are excited to try! For more information and to download the PDF click here: https://lnkd.in/eixJhgn9 If you are interested to find out how we can utilise our expertise in synthetic chemistry to expedite your journey from Concept through to Clinic, we would love to hear from you: https://lnkd.in/dKpT6Nn #Concept2Clinic #SyntheticChemistry #ProcessDevelopment #MedicinalChemistry #Methodology #Pharmaceuticals

💥 Meet Dr Laurent Bornaghi (I am a Chemist, I have the Solution)💥, a Laboratory Manager and Organic Chemist with 30 years of experience in the field. Inspired by his managers and a deep love for science, particularly Biology and Chemistry, Laurent's work focuses on formulations and quality control, where he finds the most reward in knowing he can make a difference. His advice to young scientists? "Focus and passion are key." With unlimited resources, Laurent would love to see an increase in pharmaceutical manufacturing within Australia. Laurent also shared a memorable moment from his lab days - the magic of growing his first crystals. As an organic chemist, successfully growing crystals is a sign of purity in a compound. Laurent described the process of experimenting with different concentrations of solvents, and even trying out tricks like scratching the glass to encourage crystallisation. A memorable technique from his supervisor involved blowing cigar 🚬 smoke into the flask to initiate crystallisation - a practice steeped in legend but certainly not recommended today! Laurent's first crystals were Trityl Chloride. He vividly recalls the thrill as one tiny crystal appeared, then another, and another, until the flask was full of them. He describes it as a moment of pure magic - one he wishes he had captured on video. 👨🔬 Join us in celebrating Laurent's dedication to science during National Science Week! #nationalscienceweek #labcoscientific #science #chemistry #crystallization #organicchemistry

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In my opinion, the single best option for graduate students/post-docs/early career medicinal (and computational) chemists to get a holistic picture of the goals and critical knowledge for success in medicinal chemistry:

How to involve students through experimental practices? Want to find out more? Check out our last paper published on Journal of Chemical Education. This work presents an innovative laboratory practice carried out in #ULusófona in collaboration with #CQE, in the inorganic medicinal chemistry course within the Degrees of #MICF and Biochemistry. The students learned different topics, including mechano-chemistry techniques, structural elucidation skills and microbiology concepts, which will help students in their future careers. Find the link to this innovative laboratory practice here https://lnkd.in/dNv3RKPY #ulusofona #ECTS #EPCV #CBIOS #CQE #IST #science #teachinginnovation