DATE2024.12.30 #Press Releases
Making Drugs in a Carbon-Neutral Society: Manufacturing anti-Alzheimer Drugs Using the Continuous-Flow Method
Summary
A research group led by Professor Shu Kobayashi of the Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, and Project Professor Haruro Ishitani of the same Department, has succeeded in the continuous-flow synthesis of an anti-Alzheimer drug memantine using a 4-step continuous-flow molecular transformation. Memantine is a small molecule drug with a characteristic adamantane structure, and is a compound that shows effective action against Alzheimer's disease either alone or in combination with other drugs. While mid-molecular drugs such as nucleic acids and peptides are attracting attention, small molecule drugs are still in high demand due to their low price and ease of manufacturing. On the other hand, Japan, which depends heavily on foreign countries for chemical supplies, needs to produce these small molecule drugs domestically to maintain sustainable supply in the future, and develop innovative technologies to do so. In this study, Prof. Kobayashi and Prof. Ishitani demonstrated the continuous-flow synthesis of such pharmaceuticals, which could serve such technological innovation. The synthesis involved a gas-liquid-solid flow reactions using immobilized metal catalysts in column-type reactors, and liquid-liquid flow reactions using a strongly acidic ionic liquid, demonstrating that reactions that have been considered difficult can be applied to the continuous-flow synthesis of pharmaceuticals.
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Figure: Four continuous flow reactions
Journal
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Journal name Chemistry, A European JournalTitle of paper