High-throughput synthesis provides data for predicting molecular properties and reaction success

Sci Adv. 2023 Oct 27;9(43):eadj2314. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adj2314. Epub 2023 Oct 27.

Abstract

The generation of attractive scaffolds for drug discovery efforts requires the expeditious synthesis of diverse analogues from readily available building blocks. This endeavor necessitates a trade-off between diversity and ease of access and is further complicated by uncertainty about the synthesizability and pharmacokinetic properties of the resulting compounds. Here, we document a platform that leverages photocatalytic N-heterocycle synthesis, high-throughput experimentation, automated purification, and physicochemical assays on 1152 discrete reactions. Together, the data generated allow rational predictions of the synthesizability of stereochemically diverse C-substituted N-saturated heterocycles with deep learning and reveal unexpected trends on the relationship between structure and properties. This study exemplifies how organic chemists can exploit state-of-the-art technologies to markedly increase throughput and confidence in the preparation of drug-like molecules.

MeSH terms

  • Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic
  • Drug Discovery* / methods
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays
  • Pharmacokinetics