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Pharmaceutical synthesis requires a diversity of chemical reactions. The discovery of new reactions enable novel retrosynthetic disconnections, potentially expediting access to complex molecules. This Synopsis demonstrates the use of enumerative combinatorics to find impactful underdeveloped reactions for drug synthesis. By mapping pharmaceutical target molecules onto available building blocks using just one retrosynthetic disconnection even if the requisite reaction is not yet known, we highlight the importance of site-selective C-H cross-coupling methods. This cheminformatics-driven retrosynthetic analysis identifies novel reaction methods of value to the synthesis toolbox.

The incorporation of deuterium in organic molecules has widespread applications in medicinal chemistry and materials science 1,2 . For example, the deuterated drugs austedo 3 , donafenib 4 and sotyktu 5 have been recently approved. There are various methods for the synthesis of deuterated compounds with high deuterium incorporation 6 . However, the reductive deuteration of aromatic hydrocarbons-ubiquitous chemical feedstocks-to saturated cyclic compounds has rarely been achieved. Here we describe a scalable and general electrocatalytic method for the reductive deuteration and deuterodefluorination of (hetero)arenes using a prepared nitrogen-doped electrode and deuterium oxide (D 2 O), giving perdeuterated and saturated deuterocarbon products. This protocol has been successfully applied to the synthesis of 13 highly deuterated drug molecules. Mechanistic investigations suggest that the ruthenium-deuterium species, generated by electrolysis of D 2 O in the presence of a nitrogen-doped ruthenium electrode, are key intermediates that directly reduce aromatic compounds. This quick and cost-effective methodology for the preparation of highly deuterium-labelled saturated (hetero)cyclic compounds could be applied in drug development and metabolism studies., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

The selective cross-coupling of two alkyl electrophiles to construct complex molecules remains a challenge in organic synthesis 1,2 . Known reactions are optimized for specific electrophiles and are not amenable to interchangeably varying electrophilic substrates that are sourced from common alkyl building blocks, such as amines, carboxylic acids and halides 3-5 . These limitations restrict the types of alkyl substrate that can be modified and, ultimately, the chemical space that can be explored 6 . Here we report a general solution to these limitations that enables a combinatorial approach to alkyl-alkyl cross-coupling reactions. This methodology relies on the discovery of unusually persistent Ni(alkyl) complexes that can be formed directly by oxidative addition of alkyl halides, redox-active esters or pyridinium salts. The resulting alkyl complexes can be isolated or directly telescoped to couple with a second alkyl electrophile, which represent cross-selective reactions that were previously unknown. The utility of this synthetic capability is showcased in the rapid diversification of amino acids, natural products, pharmaceuticals and drug-like building blocks by various combinations of dehalogenative, decarboxylative or deaminative coupling. In addition to a robust scope, this work provides insights into the organometallic chemistry of synthetically relevant Ni(alkyl) complexes through crystallographic analysis, stereochemical probes and spectroscopic studies., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Biocatalysis has emerged as a strong tool for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). In the early twentieth century, whole cell biocatalysis was used to develop the first industrial biocatalytic processes, and the precise work of enzymes was unknown. Biocatalysis has evolved over the years into an essential tool for modern, cost-effective, and sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing. Meanwhile, advances in directed evolution enable the rapid production of process-stable enzymes with broad substrate scope and high selectivity. Large-scale synthetic pathways incorporating biocatalytic critical steps towards >130 APIs of authorized pharmaceuticals and drug prospects are compared in terms of steps, reaction conditions, and scale with the corresponding chemical procedures. This review is designed on the functional group developed during the reaction forming alcohol functional groups. Some important biocatalyst sources, techniques, and challenges are described. A few APIs and their utilization in pharmaceutical drugs are explained here in this review. Biocatalysis has provided shorter, more efficient, and more sustainable alternative pathways toward existing small molecule APIs. Furthermore, non-pharmaceutical applications of biocatalysts are also mentioned and discussed. Finally, this review includes the future outlook and challenges of biocatalysis. In conclusion, Further research and development of promising enzymes are required before they can be used in industry., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study explores various aspects of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), focusing on synthesis techniques to adjust pore size and key ligands and metals for crafting carrier MOFs. It investigates MOF-drug interactions, including hydrogen bonding, van der Waals, and electrostatic interactions, along with kinetic studies. The multifaceted applications of MOFs in drug delivery systems are elucidated. The morphology and structure of MOFs are intricately linked to synthesis methodology, impacting attributes like crystallinity, porosity, and surface area. Hydrothermal synthesis yields MOFs with high crystallinity, suitable for catalytic applications, while solvothermal synthesis generates MOFs with increased porosity, ideal for gas and liquid adsorption. Understanding MOF-drug interactions is crucial for optimizing drug delivery, affecting charge capacity, stability, and therapeutic efficacy. Kinetic studies determine drug release rates and uniformity, vital for controlled drug delivery. Overall, comprehending drug-MOF interactions and kinetics is essential for developing effective and controllable drug delivery systems., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

An efficient catalytic borylation reaction of aryl bromides in water based on Pd catalysis under micellar conditions is presented. The peculiar combination of the proper Pd precursor with a Sphos ligand and a hindered lipophilic base ensures good yields in the synthesis of a wide range of boronic esters, even for heteroaryl derivatives with a good purity profile. The method is specifically developed for the in situ preparation of boronic esters that are directly converted into examples of relevant active pharmaceutical ingredient intermediates through cross-coupling reactions or via oxidation to phenols.

In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved 29 small molecule drugs. These newly approved small molecule drugs possess the distinct scaffolds, thereby exhibiting diverse mechanisms of action and binding modalities. Moreover, the marketed drugs have always been an important source of new drug development and creative inspiration, thereby fostering analogous endeavors in drug discovery that potentially extend to the diverse clinical indications. Therefore, conducting a comprehensive evaluation of drug approval experience and associated information will facilitate the expedited identification of highly potent drug molecules. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the relevant information regarding the clinical applications, mechanisms of action and chemical synthesis of 29 small molecule drugs, with the aim of providing a promising structural basis and design inspiration for pharmaceutical chemists., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Computer-assisted synthesis planning has become increasingly important in drug discovery. While deep-learning models have shown remarkable progress in achieving high accuracies for single-step retrosynthetic predictions, their performances in retrosynthetic route planning need to be checked. This study compares the intricate single-step models with a straightforward template enumeration approach for retrosynthetic route planning on a real-world drug molecule data set. Despite the superior single-step accuracy of advanced models, the template enumeration method with a heuristic-based retrosynthesis knowledge score was found to surpass them in efficiency in searching the reaction space, achieving a higher or comparable solve rate within the same time frame. This counterintuitive result underscores the importance of efficiency and retrosynthesis knowledge in retrosynthesis route planning and suggests that future research should incorporate a simple template enumeration as a benchmark. It also suggests that this simple yet effective strategy should be considered alongside more complex models to better cater to the practical needs of computer-assisted synthesis planning in drug discovery.

Asymmetric catalysis enables the synthesis of optically active compounds, often requiring the differentiation between two substituents on prochiral substrates 1 . Despite decades of development of mainly noble metal catalysts, achieving differentiation between substituents with similar steric and electronic properties remains a notable challenge 2,3 . Here we introduce a class of Earth-abundant manganese catalysts for the asymmetric hydrogenation of dialkyl ketimines to give a range of chiral amine products. These catalysts distinguish between pairs of minimally differentiated alkyl groups bound to the ketimine, such as methyl and ethyl, and even subtler distinctions, such as ethyl and n-propyl. The degree of enantioselectivity can be adjusted by modifying the components of the chiral manganese catalyst. This reaction demonstrates a wide substrate scope and achieves a turnover number of up to 107,800. Our mechanistic studies indicate that exceptional stereoselectivity arises from the modular assembly of confined chiral catalysts and cooperative non-covalent interactions between the catalyst and the substrate., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Alcohol is ubiquitous with unparalleled structural diversity and thus has wide applications as a native functional group in organic synthesis. It is highly prevalent among biomolecules and offers promising opportunities for the development of chemical libraries. Over the last decade, alcohol has been extensively used as an environmentally friendly chemical for numerous organic transformations. In this review, we collectively discuss the utilisation of alcohol from 2015 to 2023 in various organic transformations and their application toward intermediates of drugs, drug derivatives and natural product-like molecules. Notable features discussed are as follows: (i) sustainable approaches for C-X alkylation (X = C, N, or O) including O -phosphorylation of alcohols, (ii) newer strategies using methanol as a methylating reagent, (iii) allylation of alkenes and alkynes including allylic trifluoromethylations, (iv) alkenylation of N-heterocycles, ketones, sulfones, and ylides towards the synthesis of drug-like molecules, (v) cyclisation and annulation to pharmaceutically active molecules, and (vi) coupling of alcohols with aryl halides or triflates, aryl cyanide and olefins to access drug-like molecules. We summarise the synthesis of over 100 drugs via several approaches, where alcohol was used as one of the potential coupling partners. Additionally, a library of molecules consisting over 60 fatty acids or steroid motifs is documented for late-stage functionalisation including the challenges and opportunities for harnessing alcohols as renewable resources.

The available methods of chemical synthesis have arguably contributed to the prevalence of aromatic rings, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, or pyridine, in modern pharmaceuticals. Many such sp 2 -carbon-rich fragments are now easy to synthesize using high-quality cross-coupling reactions that click together an ever-expanding menu of commercially available building blocks, but the products are flat and lipophilic, decreasing their odds of becoming marketed drugs. Converting flat aromatic molecules into saturated analogues with a higher fraction of sp 3 carbons could improve their medicinal properties and facilitate the invention of safe, efficacious, metabolically stable, and soluble medicines. In this study, we show that aromatic and heteroaromatic drugs can be readily saturated under exceptionally mild rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenation, acid-mediated reduction, or photocatalyzed-hydrogenation conditions, converting sp 2 carbon atoms into sp 3 carbon atoms and leading to saturated molecules with improved medicinal properties. These methods are productive in diverse pockets of chemical space, producing complex saturated pharmaceuticals bearing a variety of functional groups and three-dimensional architectures. The rhodium-catalyzed method tolerates traces of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or water, meaning that pharmaceutical compound collections, which are typically stored in wet DMSO, can finally be reformatted for use as substrates for chemical synthesis. This latter application is demonstrated through the late-stage saturation (LSS) of 768 complex and densely functionalized small-molecule drugs.

Heteroarenes are ubiquitous motifs in bioactive molecules, conferring favourable physical properties when compared to their arene counterparts 1-3 . In particular, semisaturated heteroarenes possess attractive solubility properties and a higher fraction of sp 3 carbons, which can improve binding affinity and specificity. However, these desirable structures remain rare owing to limitations in current synthetic methods 4-6 . Indeed, semisaturated heterocycles are laboriously prepared by means of non-modular fit-for-purpose syntheses, which decrease throughput, limit chemical diversity and preclude their inclusion in many hit-to-lead campaigns 7-10 . Herein, we describe a more intuitive and modular couple-close approach to build semisaturated ring systems from dual radical precursors. This platform merges metallaphotoredox C(sp 2 )-C(sp 3 ) cross-coupling with intramolecular Minisci-type radical cyclization to fuse abundant heteroaryl halides with simple bifunctional feedstocks, which serve as the diradical synthons, to rapidly assemble a variety of spirocyclic, bridged and substituted saturated ring types that would be extremely difficult to make by conventional methods. The broad availability of the requisite feedstock materials allows sampling of regions of underexplored chemical space. Reagent-controlled radical generation leads to a highly regioselective and stereospecific annulation that can be used for the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceutical scaffolds, replacing lengthy de novo syntheses., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

The development of bimolecular homolytic substitution (S H 2) catalysis has expanded cross-coupling chemistries by enabling the selective combination of any primary radical with any secondary or tertiary radical through a radical sorting mechanism 1-8 . Biomimetic 9,10 S H 2 catalysis can be used to merge common feedstock chemicals-such as alcohols, acids and halides-in various permutations for the construction of a single C(sp 3 )-C(sp 3 ) bond. The ability to sort these two distinct radicals across commercially available alkenes in a three-component manner would enable the simultaneous construction of two C(sp 3 )-C(sp 3 ) bonds, greatly accelerating access to complex molecules and drug-like chemical space 11 . However, the simultaneous in situ formation of electrophilic and primary nucleophilic radicals in the presence of unactivated alkenes is problematic, typically leading to statistical radical recombination, hydrogen atom transfer, disproportionation and other deleterious pathways 12,13 . Here we report the use of bimolecular homolytic substitution catalysis to sort an electrophilic radical and a nucleophilic radical across an unactivated alkene. This reaction involves the in situ formation of three distinct radical species, which are then differentiated by size and electronics, allowing for regioselective formation of the desired dialkylated products. This work accelerates access to pharmaceutically relevant C(sp 3 )-rich molecules and defines a distinct mechanistic approach for alkene dialkylation., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

When searching for the ideal molecule to fill a particular functional role (for example, a medicine), the difference between success and failure can often come down to a single atom 1 . Replacing an aromatic carbon atom with a nitrogen atom would be enabling in the discovery of potential medicines 2 , but only indirect means exist to make such C-to-N transmutations, typically by parallel synthesis 3 . Here, we report a transformation that enables the direct conversion of a heteroaromatic carbon atom into a nitrogen atom, turning quinolines into quinazolines. Oxidative restructuring of the parent azaarene gives a ring-opened intermediate bearing electrophilic sites primed for ring reclosure and expulsion of a carbon-based leaving group. Such a 'sticky end' approach subverts existing atom insertion-deletion approaches and as a result avoids skeleton-rotation and substituent-perturbation pitfalls common in stepwise skeletal editing. We show a broad scope of quinolines and related azaarenes, all of which can be converted into the corresponding quinazolines by replacement of the C3 carbon with a nitrogen atom. Mechanistic experiments support the critical role of the activated intermediate and indicate a more general strategy for the development of C-to-N transmutation reactions., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Modern retrosynthetic analysis in organic chemistry is based on the principle of polar relationships between functional groups to guide the design of synthetic routes 1 . This method, termed polar retrosynthetic analysis, assigns partial positive (electrophilic) or negative (nucleophilic) charges to constituent functional groups in complex molecules followed by disconnecting bonds between opposing charges 2-4 . Although this approach forms the basis of undergraduate curriculum in organic chemistry 5 and strategic applications of most synthetic methods 6 , the implementation often requires a long list of ancillary considerations to mitigate chemoselectivity and oxidation state issues involving protecting groups and precise reaction choreography 3,4,7 . Here we report a radical-based Ni/Ag-electrocatalytic cross-coupling of substituted carboxylic acids, thereby enabling an intuitive and modular approach to accessing complex molecular architectures. This new method relies on a key silver additive that forms an active Ag nanoparticle-coated electrode surface 8,9 in situ along with carefully chosen ligands that modulate the reactivity of Ni. Through judicious choice of conditions and ligands, the cross-couplings can be rendered highly diastereoselective. To demonstrate the simplifying power of these reactions, concise syntheses of 14 natural products and two medicinally relevant molecules were completed., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Pyridines and related N-heteroarenes are commonly found in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and other biologically active compounds 1,2 . Site-selective C-H functionalization would provide a direct way of making these medicinally active products 3-5 . For example, nicotinic acid derivatives could be made by C-H carboxylation, but this remains an elusive transformation 6-8 . Here we describe the development of an electrochemical strategy for the direct carboxylation of pyridines using CO 2 . The choice of the electrolysis setup gives rise to divergent site selectivity: a divided electrochemical cell leads to C5 carboxylation, whereas an undivided cell promotes C4 carboxylation. The undivided-cell reaction is proposed to operate through a paired-electrolysis mechanism 9,10 , in which both cathodic and anodic events play critical roles in altering the site selectivity. Specifically, anodically generated iodine preferentially reacts with a key radical anion intermediate in the C4-carboxylation pathway through hydrogen-atom transfer, thus diverting the reaction selectivity by means of the Curtin-Hammett principle 11 . The scope of the transformation was expanded to a wide range of N-heteroarenes, including bipyridines and terpyridines, pyrimidines, pyrazines and quinolines., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

50 New drugs including 36 chemical entities and 14 biologics were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during 2021. Among the marketed drugs, 31 new small molecule agents (29 small molecule drugs and 2 diagnostic agents) with privileged structures and novel clinical applications represent as promising leads for the development of new drugs with the similar indications and improved therapeutic efficacy. This review is mainly focused on the clinical applications and synthetic methods of 29 small molecule drugs newly approved by the FDA in 2021. We believed that insight into the synthetic approaches of drug molecules would provide creative and practical inspirations for the development of more efficient and practical synthetic technologies to meet with new drug discovery., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The importance of the quinoxaline framework is exemplified by its presence in the well-known drugs such as varenicline, brimonidine, quinacillin, etc. In the past few years, preparation of a variety of organic compounds containing the quinoxaline framework has been reported by several research groups. The chloroquinoxalines were successfully used as substrates in many of these synthetic approaches due to their easy availability along with the reactivity especially towards a diverse range of metal and transition metal-catalyzed transformations including Sonogashira, Suzuki, Heck type of cross-coupling reactions. The transition metals e.g., Pd, Cu, Fe and Nb catalysts played a key role in these transformations for the construction of various CX (e.g., CC, CN, CO, CS, CP, CSe, etc) bonds. These approaches can be classified based on the catalyst employed, type of the reaction performed and nature of CX bond formation during the reaction. Several of these resultant quinoxaline derivatives have shown diverse biological activities which include apoptosis inducing activities, SIRT1 inhibition, inhibition of luciferace enzyme, antibacterial and antifungal activities, cytotoxicity towards cancer cells, inhibition of PDE4 (phosphodiesterase 4), potential uses against COVID-19, etc. Notably, a review article covering the literature based on transition metal-catalyzed reactions of chloroquinoxalines at the same time summarizing the relevant biological activities of resultant products is rather uncommon. Therefore, an attempt is made in the current review article to summarize (i) the recent advances noted in the transition metal-catalyzed reactions of chloroquinoxalines (ii) with the relevant mechanistic discussions (iii) along with the in vitro, and in silico biological studies (wherever reported) (iv) including Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) within the particular series of the products reported between 2010 and 2022., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Research in the field of asymmetric catalysis over the past half century has resulted in landmark advances, enabling the efficient synthesis of chiral building blocks, pharmaceuticals and natural products 1-3 . A small number of asymmetric catalytic reactions have been identified that display high selectivity across a broad scope of substrates; not coincidentally, these are the reactions that have the greatest impact on how enantioenriched compounds are synthesized 4-8 . We postulate that substrate generality in asymmetric catalysis is rare not simply because it is intrinsically difficult to achieve, but also because of the way chiral catalysts are identified and optimized 9 . Typical discovery campaigns rely on a single model substrate, and thus select for high performance in a narrow region of chemical space. Here we put forth a practical approach for using multiple model substrates to select simultaneously for both enantioselectivity and generality in asymmetric catalytic reactions from the outset 10,11 . Multisubstrate screening is achieved by conducting high-throughput chiral analyses by supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry with pooled samples. When applied to Pictet-Spengler reactions, the multisubstrate screening approach revealed a promising and unexpected lead for the general enantioselective catalysis of this important transformation, which even displayed high enantioselectivity for substrate combinations outside of the screening set., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

A key building block enables a general synthesis of chiral phosphorus drugs.

Quinone methides (QMs) are considered to be highly reactive intermediates because of their aromatization both in chemical and biological systems. Being highly accessible, quinone methides (QMs) have been widely exploited and their concurrent use has been manifested for the synthesis of tertiary and quaternary carbon centers of bioactives, drugs and drug-like molecules. In this feature article, the synthetic routes, structure-reactivity relationships and synthetic applications of quinone methides are discussed. Formation of the intermediates during bioactivation of different chemical entities and possible chemical manifestations leading to their toxicity in biological systems are also covered.

During the manufacture of pharmaceutical heparin, a range of treatments are applied to sanitize, decolourise and reduce the pyrogenic properties of the samples. The structural effects of bleaching, an oxidative process, are examined. Among 1 H and 13 C NMR signals ascribable to the tetrasaccharide linkage region of heparin, samples of porcine mucosal heparin frequently display characteristic signals at chemical shift values of 4.5 and 106 ppm respectively, which have not been explained previously. Fractions enriched with material reporting this signal were isolated from heparinase digested porcine mucosal heparin samples and subjected to analysis using mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. A novel structure, ΔU-Gal-Gal-Xyl-CH 2 -CONH 2 , was identified by mass fragmentation experiments and further interesting structural motifs emerged following evaluation by mass spectrometry of longer oligosaccharide chains biosynthesized away from the linker tetrasaccharide, GlcA-Gal-Gal-Xyl. The carbohydrate-protein linkage region is thus affected by the bleaching step involved in the manufacturing process of heparin. The discovery of specific modifications that reflect the extent of the oxidation treatment adopted is relevant to the monitoring of inadvertent damage to the heparin structure during manufacture that contributes to sample variation and which could also lead to reduced drug quality., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This review describes the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs (in the year 2021) containing at least one halogen atom (covalently bound). The structures proposed throughout this work are grouped according to their therapeutical use. Their synthesis is presented as well. The number of halogenated molecules that are reaching the market is regularly preserved, and 14 of the 50 molecules approved by the FDA in the last year contain halogens. This underlines the emergent role of halogens and, in particular, of fluorine and chlorine in the preparation of drugs for the treatment of several diseases such as viral infections, several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, migraine and inflammatory diseases such as vasculitis.

Macrocycles represent attractive candidates in organic synthesis and drug discovery. Since 2014, nineteen macrocyclic drugs, including three radiopharmaceuticals, have been approved by FDA for the treatment of bacterial and viral infections, cancer, obesity, immunosuppression, etc. As such, new synthetic methodologies and high throughput chemistry (e.g., microwave-assisted and/or solid-phase synthesis) to access various macrocycle entities have attracted great interest in this chemical space. This article serves as an update on our previous review related to macrocyclic drugs and new synthetic strategies toward macrocycles ( Molecules , 2013 , 18 , 6230). In this work, I first reviewed recent FDA-approved macrocyclic drugs since 2014, followed by new advances in macrocycle synthesis using high throughput chemistry, including microwave-assisted and/or solid-supported macrocyclization strategies. Examples and highlights of macrocyclization include macrolactonization and macrolactamization, transition-metal catalyzed olefin ring-closure metathesis, intramolecular C-C and C-heteroatom cross-coupling, copper- or ruthenium-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, intramolecular S N Ar or S N 2 nucleophilic substitution, condensation reaction, and multi-component reaction-mediated macrocyclization, and covering the literature since 2010.

This review presents the main aspects related to pharmacokinetic properties, which are essential for the efficacy and safety of drugs. This topic is very important because the analysis of pharmacokinetic aspects in the initial design stages of drug candidates can increase the chances of success for the entire process. In this scenario, experimental and in silico techniques have been widely used. Due to the difficulties encountered with the use of some experimental tests to determine pharmacokinetic properties, several in silico tools have been developed and have shown promising results. Therefore, in this review, we address the main free tools/servers that have been used in this area, as well as some cases of application. Finally, we present some studies that employ a multidisciplinary approach with synergy between in silico, in vitro, and in vivo techniques to assess ADME properties of bioactive substances, achieving successful results in drug discovery and design., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The most relevant lipase-catalyzed strategies for the synthesis of pharmaceutically important cyclic and acyclic α-, β- and γ-amino carboxylic acid enantiomers through hydrolysis of the corresponding amino carboxylic esters and lactams, over the last decade are overviewed. A brief Introduction part deals with the importance and synthesis of enantiomeric amino acids, and formulates the objectives of the actual work. The strategies are presented in the Main Text, in chronological order, classified as kinetic, dynamic kinetic and sequential kinetic resolution. Mechanistic information of the enzymatic transformations is also available at the end of this overview. The pharmacological importance of the enantiomeric amino acids is given next to their synthesis, in the Main Text, and it is also illustrated in the Conclusions and Outlook sections., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The current manufacturing solutions for oral solid dosage forms are fundamentally based on technologies from the 19th century. This approach is well suited for mass production of one-size-fits-all products; however, it does not allow for a straight-forward personalization and mass customization of the pharmaceutical end-product. In order to provide better therapies to the patients, a need for innovative manufacturing concepts and product design principles has been rising. Additive manufacturing opens up a possibility for compartmentalization of drug products, including design of spatially separated multidrug and functional excipient compartments. This compartmentalized solution can be further expanded to modular design thinking. Modular design is referring to combination of building blocks containing a given amount of drug compound(s) and related functional excipients into a larger final product. Implementation of modular design principles is paving the way for implementing the emerging personalization potential within health sciences by designing compartmental and reactive product structures that can be manufactured based on the individual needs of each patient. This review will introduce the existing compartmentalized product design principles and discuss the integration of these into edible electronics allowing for innovative control of drug release., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing is enabling new directions in product design. The adoption of AM in various industrial sectors has led to major transformations. Similarly, AM presents new opportunities in the field of drug delivery, opening new avenues for improved patient care. In this review, we discuss AM as an innovative tool for drug product design. We provide a brief overview of the different AM processes and their respective impact on the design of drug delivery systems. We highlight several enabling features of AM, including unconventional release, customization, and miniaturization, and discuss several applications of AM for the fabrication of drug products. This includes products that have been approved or are in development. As the field matures, there are also several new challenges to broad implementation in the pharmaceutical landscape. We discuss several of these from the regulatory and industrial perspectives and provide an outlook for how these issues may be addressed. The introduction of AM into the field of drug delivery is an enabling technology and many new drug products can be created through productive collaboration of engineers, materials scientists, pharmaceutical scientists, and industrial partners., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following potential competing financial interests. H.R., S.R., P.D.W., and G.S. are employees of F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG. E.A.G., M.W.T., S.R., and G.S. are co-inventors on patents related to additive manufacturing of drug delivery systems. For a list of entities with which R.L. is involved, compensated or uncompensated, see www.dropbox.com/s/yc3xqb5s8s94v7x/Rev%20Langer%20COI.pdf?dl=0., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Orodispersible films (ODFs) are ultra-thin, stamp-sized, elegant, portable and patient-centric pharmaceutical dosage forms that do not need water to be ingested. They are particularly useful for paediatric and geriatric patient populations with special needs such as dysphagia, Parkinson's disease, and oral cancer. Accordingly, they hold tremendous potential in gaining patient compliance, convenience and pharmacotherapy. In the present review, conception and evolution of ODFs as a product and its technology are discussed. The review continues by providing overview about the potential of ODFs as carriers for delivering drugs, herbal extracts, probiotics and vaccines. Besides, strategies employed in drug cargo loading, taste masking of bitter drugs and enhancing drug stability are discussed. Finally, the review concludes by providing a brief overview about quality by design (QbD) principles in development of ODFs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Human fetal progenitor tenocytes (hFPT) produced in defined cell bank systems have recently been characterized and qualified as potential therapeutic cell sources in tendon regenerative medicine. In view of further developing the manufacture processes of such cell-based active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), the effects of hypoxic in vitro culture expansion on key cellular characteristics or process parameters were evaluated. To this end, multiple aspects were comparatively assessed in normoxic incubation (i.e., 5% CO 2 and 21% O 2 , standard conditions) or in hypoxic incubation (i.e., 5% CO 2 and 2% O 2 , optimized conditions). Experimentally investigated parameters and endpoints included cellular proliferation, cellular morphology and size distribution, cell surface marker panels, cell susceptibility toward adipogenic and osteogenic induction, while relative protein expression levels were analyzed by quantitative mass spectrometry. The results outlined conserved critical cellular characteristics (i.e., cell surface marker panels, cellular phenotype under chemical induction) and modified key cellular parameters (i.e., cell size distribution, endpoint cell yields, matrix protein contents) potentially procuring tangible benefits for next-generation cell manufacturing workflows. Specific proteomic analyses further shed some light on the cellular effects of hypoxia, potentially orienting further hFPT processing for cell-based, cell-free API manufacture. Overall, this study indicated that hypoxic incubation impacts specific hFPT key properties while preserving critical quality attributes (i.e., as compared to normoxic incubation), enabling efficient manufacture of tenocyte-based APIs for homologous standardized transplant products.

Owing to the market competitiveness and urgent societal need, an optimum speed of drug discovery is an important criterion for successful implementation. Despite the rapid ascent of artificial intelligence and computational and bioanalytical techniques to accelerate drug discovery in big pharma, organic synthesis of privileged scaffolds predicted in silico for in vitro and in vivo studies is still considered as the rate-limiting step. C-H activation is the latest technology added into an organic chemist's toolbox for the rapid construction and late-stage modification of functional molecules to achieve the desired chemical and physical properties. Particularly, elimination of prefunctionalization steps, exceptional functional group tolerance, complexity-to-diversity oriented synthesis, and late-stage functionalization of privileged medicinal scaffolds expand the chemical space. It has immense potential for the rapid synthesis of a library of molecules, structural modification to achieve the required pharmacological properties such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicology (ADMET) and attachment of chemical reporters for proteome profiling, metabolite synthesis, etc. for preclinical studies. Although heterocycle synthesis, late-stage drug modification, 18 F labelling, methylation, etc. via C-H functionalization have been reviewed from the synthetic standpoint, a general overview of these protocols from medicinal and drug discovery aspects has not been reviewed. In this feature article, we will discuss the recent trends of C-H activation methodologies such as synthesis of medicinal scaffolds through C-H activation/annulation cascade; C-H arylation for sp 2 -sp 2 and sp 2 -sp 3 cross-coupling; C-H borylation/silylation to introduce a functional linchpin for further manipulation; C-H amination for N-heterocycles and hydrogen bond acceptors; C-H fluorination/fluoroalkylation to tune polarity and lipophilicity; C-H methylation: methyl magic in drug discovery; peptide modification and macrocyclization for therapeutics and biologics; fluorescent labelling and radiolabelling for bioimaging; bioconjugation for chemical biology studies; drug-metabolite synthesis for biodistribution and excretion studies; late-stage diversification of drug-molecules to increase efficacy and safety; cutting-edge DNA encoded library synthesis and improved synthesis of drug molecules via C-H activation in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

Biologically active metabolites are a valuable resource for development of drug candidates and lead structures for drug design. This digest highlights a selection of biologically active metabolites that have been used as new chemical entities for development or as lead structures for drug design., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The relevance of ionic liquids (ILs) is now well established in many fields, as their unique properties make them appealing as 1) greener alternatives to organic solvents (first-generation ILs), 2) tunable task-specific materials (second-generation ILs), and 3) multifunctional players in life and pharmaceutical sciences (third-generation ILs). This third wave of ILs encompasses a wide range of compounds, from bioactive molecules with single or even dual therapeutic action, to potential ingredient molecules for drug formulation and transport systems. In this context, the focus of this review is the emergent role of surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) in drug development and delivery., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Acylhydrazones are still an important framework to the design of new bioactive compounds. As treatment of chronic pain represents a clinical challenge, we decided to modify the structure of LASSBio-1514 ( 1 ), previously described as anti-inflammatory and analgesic prototype. Applying the homologation as a strategy for molecular modification, we designed a series of cyclopentyl- ( 2a - e ), cyclobutyl- ( 3a - e ), and cyclopropylacylhydrazones ( 4a - e ) that were synthetized and evaluated in murine models of inflammation and pain. A comparison of their in silico physicochemical and drug-like profile was conducted, as well as their anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. Compounds 4a (LASSBio-1755) and 4e (LASSBio-1757) displayed excellent in silico drug-like profiles and were identified as new analgesic lead-candidates in acute and chronic model of pain, through oral administration.

Drug development is a long process whose main content includes drug synthesis, drug delivery, and drug evaluation. Compared with conventional drug development procedures, microfluidics has emerged as a revolutionary technology in that it offers a miniaturized and highly controllable environment for bio(chemical) reactions to take place. It is also compatible with analytical strategies to implement integrated and high-throughput screening and evaluations. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the entire microfluidics-based drug development system, from drug synthesis to drug evaluation. The challenges in the current status and the prospects for future development are also discussed. We believe that this review will promote communications throughout diversified scientific and engineering communities that will continue contributing to this burgeoning field.

With the rapid development of genomic DNA sequencing, recombinant DNA expression, and protein engineering, biocatalysis has been increasingly and widely adopted in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, bioactive molecules, fine chemicals, and agrochemicals. In this review, we have summarized the most recent advances achieved (2018-2020) in the research area of ketoreductase (KRED)-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of chiral secondary alcohol intermediates to pharmaceuticals and bioactive molecules. In the first part, synthesis of chiral alcohols with one stereocenter through the bioreduction of four different ketone classes, namely acyclic aliphatic ketones, benzyl or phenylethyl ketones, cyclic aliphatic ketones, and aryl ketones, is discussed. In the second part, KRED-catalyzed dynamic reductive kinetic resolution and reductive desymmetrization are presented for the synthesis of chiral alcohols with two contiguous stereocenters., (© 2021 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Formulation development of KO-947-K mesylate injectable drug products was described. Solution formulations were initially attempted, and key parameters such as drug concentration, buffer, pH, complexing agent, and tonicity modifying agent were carefully evaluated in the lab setting, mainly focusing on solubility and chemical stability. A lead solution formulation was advanced to a scaleup campaign. An unexpected stability issue was encountered, and the root cause was attributed to the heterogeneous liquid freezing process of the formulated solution at -20°C, which had not been captured in the lab setting. A lyophilized product was then designed to overcome the issue and supplied to the phase I clinical trial.

Chemical synthesis has been described as a central science. Its practice provides access to the chemical structures of known and/or designed function. In particular, human health is greatly impacted by synthesis that enables advancements in both basic science discoveries in chemical biology as well as translational research that can lead to new therapeutics. To support the chemical synthesis needs of investigators across campus, the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology established a chemical synthesis core as part of its foundation in 2008. Provided in this Review are examples of synthetic products, known and designed, produced in the core over the past 10 years.

New drugs introduced to the market are privileged structures having affinities for biological targets implicated in human diseases and conditions. These new chemical entities (NCEs), particularly small molecules and antibody-drug conjugates, provide insight into molecular recognition and simultaneously function as leads for the design of future medicines. This review is part of a continuing series presenting the most likely process-scale synthetic approaches to 40 NCEs approved for the first time anywhere in the world in 2019.

Drug transporters play important roles in the elimination of various compounds from the blood. Genetic variation and drug-drug interactions underlie the pharmacokinetic differences for the substrates of drug transporters. Some endogenous substrates of drug transporters have emerged as biomarkers to assess differences in drug transporter activity-not only in animals, but also in humans. Metabolomic analysis is a promising approach for identifying such endogenous substrates through their metabolites. The appropriateness of metabolites is supported by studies in vitro and in vivo, both in animals and through pharmacogenomic or drug-drug interaction studies in humans. This review summarizes current progress in identifying such endogenous biomarkers and applying them to drug transporter phenotyping., (Copyright © 2020 The Japanese Society for the Study of Xenobiotics. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Owing to a growing awareness towards environmental impact, the search for "greener", safer, and cost-effective solvents able to replace petroleum-derived solvents has never been greater today. In this context, the use of environmentally responsible solvents like water and the so-called deep eutectic solvents (DESs), constructed from bio-based compounds, has recently experienced important growth in several fields of sciences. This short review highlights the key features of the chemistry of water and (hydrated) DESs when applied to metal- and biocatalyzed transformations as well as to the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and other biologically relevant compounds by providing, through discussion of all relevant literature over the past five years, a comparison of the outcomes of the reactions when carried out in one or the other solvent.

The late stage functionalization (LSF) of complex biorelevant compounds is a powerful tool to speed up the identification of structure-activity relationships (SARs) and to optimize ADME profiles. To this end, visible-light photocatalysis offers unique opportunities to achieve smooth and clean functionalization of drugs by unlocking site-specific reactivities under generally mild reaction conditions. This review offers a critical assessment of current literature, pointing out the recent developments in the field while emphasizing the expected future progress and potential applications. Along with paragraphs discussing the visible-light photocatalytic synthetic protocols so far available for LSF of drugs and drug candidates, useful and readily accessible synoptic tables of such transformations, divided by functional groups, will be provided, thus enabling a useful, fast, and easy reference to them.

Chiral acetylenic derivatives are found in many bioactive compounds and are versatile functional groups in organic chemistry. Here, we describe an enantioselective nickel/Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric propargylic substitution reaction from simple achiral materials under mild condition. The introduction of a Lewis acid cocatalyst is crucial to the efficiency of the transformation. Notably, we investigate this asymmetric propargylic substitution reaction for the development of a range of structurally diverse natural products. The power of this strategy is highlighted by the collective synthesis of seven biologically active compounds: (-)-Thiohexital, (+)-Thiopental, (+)-Pentobarbital, (-)-AMG 837, (+)-Phenoxanol, (+)-Citralis, and (-)-Citralis Nitrile.

Proteins have attracted increasing attention as biopharmaceutics and diagnostics due to their high specificity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. The biopharmaceutical sector in particular is experiencing rapid growth, which has led to an increase in the production and sale of protein drugs and diagnostics over the last two decades. Since the first-generation biopharmaceutics dominated by native proteins, both recombinant and chemical technologies have evolved and transformed the outlook of this rapidly developing field. This review article presents updates on the fabrication of covalent and supramolecular fusion hybrids, as well as protein-polymer hybrids using solid-phase approaches that hold great promise for preparing protein hybrids with precise control at the macromolecular level to incorporate additional features. In addition, the applications of the resultant protein hybrids in medicine and diagnostics are highlighted where possible., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Non-canonical amino acid derivatives are an attractive scaffold for novel drug candidates. Among the methods used to prepare this motif, the asymmetric Mannich-type reaction of α-imino carboxylic acid derivatives is a preeminent strategy because a wide variety of non-canonical amino acids can be accessed by changing only the nucleophile. Preparing the common substrate is difficult, however, which makes this method problematic. We developed a convenient method for synthesizing common substrates using MnO 2 -mediated oxidation of stable precursors. Peptides bearing non-canonical amino acids are another attractive synthetic target. We propose a new approach for synthesizing non-canonical amino acid-containing peptides by directly applying various organic reactions to peptidic substrates. Using hydrophobic anchor-supported peptides, we directly applied ring-closing metathesis and asymmetric Friedel-Crafts reactions to peptidic substrates. We also developed a novel recyclable organocatalyst according to the nature of the hydrophobic anchor tagged compound.