A single liquid-handling robotic platform for batch and flow chemistry applications

该项目将涉及反应器模块的设计、建造和集成，这些模块能够接收来自多个试剂储层的流体，用于批量或流动合成化学实验。目前，传统的精细化学品制造使用大型反应容器，在其中加入所有试剂，并根据需要搅拌、加热或冷却反应，以完成转化。由于各种原因，这些反应有时不能达到预设的规格，这被称为批处理失败。在制药行业，这可能会对严重依赖构成其药物的活性药物成分（API）持续供应的患者造成灾难性后果。因此，制药部门的目标产量是原料药实际年需求量的2.5倍，只是为了确保持续的供应。这种材料具有生物活性，如果不使用，就必须仔细分解，这不仅是不必要的成本，而且会引起健康和环境问题。流动化学被视为精细化工制造领域的未来，因为材料是不断制造的，但规模要小得多。因此，它更安全，消耗更少的能源，并且只生产所需的API材料。大多数情况下，反应在间歇式反应器中得到优化，然后进行修改以适应流动生产。目前还没有平台可以在这两种制造技术之间轻松切换。该提案旨在用新的机器人反应器技术填补这一空白，该技术将允许在间歇反应和流动应用的过程优化之间来回移动。这将是一项颠覆性的技术，目前在这个市场上还没有任何产品。

The project will involve the design, construction and integration of reactor modules which are capable ofreceiving fluids from multiple reagent reservoirs for batch or flow synthetic chemistry experiments. Currentconventional manufacturing of fine chemicals uses large reaction vessels in which all the reagents are addedand the reaction stirred and heated or cooled as necessary to drive the transformations to completion. For avariety of reasons, such reactions can sometimes not reach preset specifications and this is referred to as a batchfailure. In the pharmaceutical sector, this can have catastrophic consequences for patients heavily reliant onconstant supply of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that makes up their drugs. As a consequence, thepharmaceutical sector targets the production of 2.5X the actual annual requirement of API, just to ensure aconstant supply. This material is biologically active and if not used, must then be carefully decomposed, whichis not only an unnecessary cost but raises health and environmental concerns. Flow chemistry is seen as thefuture of the fine chemical manufacturing sector as the material is made constantly, but on a much smallerscale. So, it is safer, consumes less energy, and only produces the amount of API material that is required. Mostoften, reactions have been optimized in batch reactors, and then are modified to suit production in flow. Thereexists no platform to readily move between these two manufacturing technologies. This proposal seeks to fillthis gap with new robotic reactor technology that will allow for the ready movement back and forth betweenprocess optimization for batch reactions and for flow applications. This will be disruptive technology and thereare presently zero products in this marketspace.