Automated synthesis of prexasertib and derivatives enabled by continuous-flow solid-phase synthesis

Nat Chem. 2021 May;13(5):451-457. doi: 10.1038/s41557-021-00662-w. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Abstract

Recent advances in end-to-end continuous-flow synthesis are rapidly expanding the capabilities of automated customized syntheses of small-molecule pharmacophores, resulting in considerable industrial and societal impacts; however, many hurdles persist that limit the number of sequential steps that can be achieved in such systems, including solvent and reagent incompatibility between individual steps, cumulated by-product formation, risk of clogging and mismatch of timescales between steps in a processing chain. To address these limitations, herein we report a strategy that merges solid-phase synthesis and continuous-flow operation, enabling push-button automated multistep syntheses of active pharmaceutical ingredients. We demonstrate our platform with a six-step synthesis of prexasertib in 65% isolated yield after 32 h of continuous execution. As there are no interactions between individual synthetic steps in the sequence, the established chemical recipe file was directly adopted or slightly modified for the synthesis of twenty-three prexasertib derivatives, enabling both automated early and late-stage diversification.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic / methods*
  • Humans
  • Pyrazines / pharmacology
  • Pyrazines / therapeutic use*
  • Pyrazoles / pharmacology
  • Pyrazoles / therapeutic use*
  • Solid-Phase Synthesis Techniques / methods*

Substances

  • Pyrazines
  • Pyrazoles
  • prexasertib