According to Dr. John M. Schwab, the NIGMS chemist who spearheaded the initiative, "Combinatorial chemistry uses massively parallel synthesis to rapidly assemble libraries. We are looking for new, highly efficient methods for synthesis, separation, purification, and analysis that will accelerate the creation of libraries and enable a broader range of structures to be made."

"Another key feature of the CMLD program is that each center must be highly integrated, featuring collaborative, synergistic projects," said Schwab. "This is not typical in the academic chemistry community. But experience has shown that unique insights can be gained when scientists approach a project from different perspectives."

The initiative comes at an opportune time, because recently developed automated screening tools allow scientists to sift through massive collections of compounds in short order. This approach was quickly adopted by the pharmaceutical industry, which routinely uses it to discover bioactive compounds that potentially could be developed into new drugs. Although industry has embraced the use of combinatorial chemistry, it rarely publishes new methods for generating libraries.

Of the chemical libraries that are available to the entire scientific community, many have been assembled using a small number of methods and core chemical scaffolds. That means they contain limited variety. The NIGMS effort seeks to enable the creation of truly unique and diverse, high-quality libraries through the development of new chemical methods. That, said Schwab, "will produce lasting benefits for all of biomedical science."

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Contact: Alisa Zapp Machalek
alisa.machalek@nih.gov
301-496-7301
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
10-Oct-2002