Industry & academia combine to support synthesis of squaric acid monoamides as building blocks for drug discovery

Global sustainable laboratory equipment visionaries, Asynt, have collaborated with Kingston University (London, UK) and renowned worldwide chemical products supplier, Key Organics, to develop an accessible new synthetic compound library. 

Nathan Long in Kingston University Laboratories. Image Credit: Asynt 

Chemists from the Wren Group at Kingston University (UK) have formed a collaborative relationship with these industry leaders, enabling them to create a novel synthetic compound library. 

Chemists from the University, Dr Stephen P. Wren, Professor Adam Le Gresley and Ph.D. candidate Nathan Long, have built an initial synthetic compound library which is comprised of 28 anilino and benzylamino monosquarate-amide squaric acid derivatives designed as bioisosteric replacements for the omnipresent carboxylic acid moiety. 

These have been used to demonstrate the potential for the generation of additional novel compounds as compounds in this class can act as substrates in further chemical transformations.  The compounds can be supplied in various formats to enrich worldwide drug discovery programs.   

By partnering with leading industry experts Asynt and Key Organics to open the possibilities of their ideas and enable access to useful lab tools such as DrySyn oil-free heating blocks and CondenSyn waterless air condensers as well as high-quality chemical starting materials, the Wren Group are on a mission to promote accessible new chemistries with lower-cost synthetic compounds that are readily available for scientific research.   

Published in the SynOpen Theime Journal, the Wren Group’s recent paper clarifying their work explains more about how DrySyn and CondenSyn can improve conditions and reaction success as well as reduce environmental impact in your laboratory. Read more on the journal’s webpages. 

Dr. Wren made it clear that the partnership formed by the three organisations made the project possible.  He goes on to explain that.. “we chose to work alongside Asynt and Key Organics because they are leading suppliers of parallel synthesis equipment and chemical building blocks respectively. The Asynt equipment was user-friendly and helped enable us to maximise our output, while our two-way exchange of chemicals with Key Organics was a joy to behold – I want to thank them both hugely for their input.” 

Asynt is proud to have been involved in this innovative work and excited to see what’s next for the Wren Group.   

For further information about the DrySyn oil-free heating blocks and CondenSyn waterless air condensers, please visit www.asynt.com/products/benchtop-synthesis-tools/. Alternatively, please contact Asynt by phone on +44 (0)1638 781709/email [email protected].