High throughput experimentation or screening (HTE or HTS) is used in the pharmaceutical industry in the development of newly discovered compounds or in the early preclinical development of drug candidates. The rational exploration of thousands of molecules finishes when a single new molecular entity (NME) reaches commercialization: Only 1 in 10000 potential candidates will make it to the market. This dynamic shift from a high to a low number of compounds needs an efficient screening process. Once an NME is found, its molecular properties and synthesis conditions are optimized before undergoing preclinical and clinical testing. This work is usually carried out by the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) department of a pharmaceutical company. Since there are usually many parameters and factors that can be varied when synthesizing a molecule, this process results in an enormous amount of testing.
To achieve the required throughput, researchers often use parallel reaction screening. This method allows multiple reactions to be run simultaneously in a reactor system, with each vial being slightly modified. In such parallel testing, miniaturization and automation are powerful ways to accelerate processes and increase productivity.
Why weighing automation is important?
Sample preparation is one of the first steps in a high-throughput experimentation workflow and it typically involves weighing multiple powders to prepare a single formulation. Especially with a large number of formulations to be tested, manual weighing soon becomes tedious, time-consuming and prone to error. Automate and let a Robotic Powder Dispensing System accurately prepare your reaction samples!
