Technology

18 February 2002 00:00  [Source: PCE]

Synetix goal

Synetix plans to develop an improved synthetic route for the PhanePhos ligand.

Synetix recently licensed the phosphine-based ligand for enantioselective hydrogenation from its developers, Merck.

Denis Geffroy, commercial manager of Synetix Chiral Technologies, said Synetix planned to develop a replicable, scalable and economic route to the ligand in order to produce kilogramme quantities. Synetix has been working on this for three months and has been 'making progress' on a better route, said Geffroy.

Additionally, Synetix will sub-license the ligand to third party fine chemical and pharmaceutical companies. It is currently working on a commercial project using the ligand with a commercial partner.

Once the improved synthetic route for PhanePhos is developed, Synetix plans to use the ligand in conjunction with its immobilisation technology.

Geffroy said the ligand could be fixed to the inorganic support either cationically through a metal centre or covalently through a linker molecule attached to the aromatic ring of the ligand.

Chiral response

Scientists at Johnson Matthey Catalysts and Chemicals Division and the Center for Applied Catalysis (CAC) at Seton Hall University, New Jersey, US, have joined forces to manufacture and commercialise solid-supported homogeneous catalysts, in response to the dramatic growth of chirality in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and fine chemical industries.

The anchored homogeneous catalyst systems involved in the collaboration, which will be developed at the CAC, include metal complexes with chiral or other ligands anchored to a solid support.

The partners will develop techniques for the large-scale manufacture of these catalysts, and will explore potential commercial applications for these systems.

IBM alliance

IBM is to collaborate with Pharmacopeia subsidiary, Accelrys, on technology to enable chemists and biologists to develop new drugs faster, more efficiently, and at lower costs.

IBM and Accelrys will team up, with each company contributing key technologies, to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and medical research centres improve their R&D operations and shorten the development cycle for new drugs.

Biocatalysts

Diversa and Degussa have agreed to evaluate and commercialise selected biocatalysts for speciality chemicals and pharmaceutical fine chemical applications. Diversa will supply biocatalysts, developed using its proprietary technologies, to Degussa's Project House Biotechnology for evaluation and process development. Degussa will pay an initial fee in order to access Diversa's biocatalysts as well as additional fees associated with the commercial development efforts. Degussa will also pay licence fees and royalties on any products that are commercialised as part of the deal.

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