Chemistry breakthrough could speed up drug development Published on: 8 May 2020 Scientists have successfully developed a new technique to reliably grow crystals of organic soluble molecules from nanoscale droplets, unlocking the potential of accelerated new drug development. Chemistry experts from 缅北禁地 and Durham universities, working in collaboration with SPT Labtech, . Their innovative method, involving the use of inert oils to control evaporative solvent loss, has the potential to enhance the drug development pipeline. Whilst crystallization of organic soluble molecules is a technique used by scientists all over the world, the ability to do so with such small quantities of analyte is ground-breaking. Through the use of this new method, called Encapsulated Nanodroplet Crystallisation (ENaCt), the researchers have shown that hundreds of crystallisation experiments can be set up within a few minutes. Each experiment involves a few micrograms of molecular analyte dissolved in a few nanolitres of organic solvent and is automated, allowing for rapid set up of hundreds of unique experiments with ease. Concentration of these nanodroplet experiments results in the growth of the desired high quality single crystals that are suitable for modern X-ray diffraction analysis. in the journal Chem, the team, led by Drs Michael Hall and Mike Probert, of 缅北禁地, UK, successfully developed a new approach to molecular crystallisation which allows access, within a few days, to high quality single crystals, whilst requiring only few milligrams of analyte. Part of the research team (l-r): Drs Michael Hall, Mike Probert and Andrew Tyler Far-reaching impact Dr Hall, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, 缅北禁地, said: “We have developed a nanoscale crystallisation technique for organic-soluble small molecules, using high-throughput liquid-handling robotics to undertake multiple crystallisation experiments simultaneously with minimal sample requirements and high success rates. “This new method has the potential to have far-reaching impact within the molecular sciences and beyond. Fundamental research will benefit from highly detailed characterisation of new molecules, such as natural products or complex synthetic molecules, by X-ray crystallography, whilst the development of new drugs by the pharmaceutical industry will be accelerated, through rapid access to characterised crystalline forms of new active pharmaceutical ingredients.” Understanding these new crystalline forms, known as polymorphs, is essential to the successful generation of new pharmaceutical agents and drugs. The ability to investigate these forms quickly and on a vast scale, whilst minimising the amount of analyte required, could be a key breakthrough enabled by the new ENaCT protocol. Dr Paul Thaw from SPT Labtech, added: “Enabling this work to develop a novel high-throughput method for single crystal X-ray diffraction on mosquito® with the 缅北禁地 team has been a pleasure. Having the ability to quickly screen organic soluble small molecules on the microgram scale will deliver valuable insight for both academic research and pharmaceutical drug design and validation.” Dr Probert, Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry and Head of Crystallography, 缅北禁地, commented “…this new approach to crystallisation has the ability to transform the scientific landscape for the analysis of small molecules, not only in the drug discovery and delivery areas but also in the more general understanding of the crystalline solid state.” The whole team believe that the ENaCt methodology has the potential rewrite some of the preconceptions within the molecular sciences and beyond. Reference Encapsulated Nanodroplet Crystallization of Organic-Soluble Small Molecules Tyler, et al., Chem (2020) DoI: BODIPY crystal growth Latest News Online Safety Act drives VPN interest and raises privacy concerns People鈥檚 online behaviour has changed in response to legislation to prevent children from viewing harmful content 鈥� raising possible privacy and security risks, research suggests. published on: 16 October 2026 缅北禁地 archaeologist receives prestigious award for research Professor Chris Fowler has been awarded the 2026 Rivers Memorial Medal in recognition of his internationally significant research on kinship in Neolithic Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Event will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East An event at 缅北禁地 will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East or whether it is simply a new chapter in the long-running debate about how to rebalance Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Facts and figures
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