Uniqsis of Cambridge, UK, and WaveCraft of Uppsala, Sweden, have entered into a collaborative agreement to develop and market a new range of microwave-based flow chemistry systems that will radically improve efficiency when scaling up compound synthesis during drug development.

By integrating proven liquid handling technology from Uniqsis with unique microwave applicator technology and reactors from WaveCraft, the two companies will deliver flow chemistry systems that not only speed up synthetic processes and facilitate scale up, but also offer a completely safe solution that uses significantly less energy than conventional approaches.

Flow chemistry and microwave synthesis systems have become well established in synthesis laboratories over the last 15 years. WaveCraft’s technology uses a novel applicator and a proprietary microwave generator based on mobile phone technology to apply microwave energy and accelerate chemical reactions. This makes it possible, for the first time, to effectively and safely combine flow chemistry with microwave heating. Scientists will be able to continuously change power and frequency, enabling optimisation during synthesis. They will be able to scale up with no need to re-optimise conditions.

Date: January 17, 2012
Source: Uniqsis Ltd.