As well as working as a CRO and CMO, we conduct our own chemical research, often in collaboration with other research organisations and universities. These ancillary projects enable us to develop new methodology and expand our technical capabilities in order to accelerate the discovery process and support the demand of our customers.

Recent and ongoing studies have focused on the synthesis and characterisation of a number of novel psychoactive ergoline molecules. This is an exciting area of research, as new findings have confirmed the therapeutic potential of serotonin (5-HT_2A) receptor agonists for treating psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. These molecules present a novel pharmacology and a promising alternative to currently available medications, and are clearly worthy of further research and development.

In the development process of the aforementioned targets, the sensitivity of the molecule meant that we faced a number of synthetic challenges. To overcome this, we developed a mild and general procedure for the direct conversion of esters to amides, suitable for epimerisation-prone substrates. This in turn enabled us to isolate the desired product, with an excellent yield, and provided convenient access to another series of molecules not yet described in the literature.

Innovation such as this is one of our core values. We are constantly working to develop new compounds for the investigation of neurobiological processes to better understand the fundamental principles that make us human. As a forward-thinking company, we strive to develop new drugs with novel therapeutic mechanisms, which can help to improve the human condition.

Find out about our Custom Synthesis and Process Development & Scale Up work.