BASF takes stake in combinatorial research firm

Combichem not just for pharmaceuticals

Materials research and development companies are taking the cue from the pharmaceutical industry and turning to combinatorial methods for their discovery activities. BASF plans to acquire a minority share in Chemspeed Ltd. (Augst, Switzerland), a developer of parallel reactors used in combinatorial materials research (CMR). BASF says the investment will stimulate its polymer and plastics research.

Polymer and plastics research is already undergoing a metamorphosis due to combinatorial materials research (CMR), says head of BASF polymer research Hans Uwe Schenck. He says the company expects to the investment to yield substantial time and cost savings in the search for new or improved polymers.

In CMR, parallel reactors rapidly synthesize small quantities of many new materials. Automated systems immediately test the samples for important material properties. Combinatorial process loops enable researchers to identify promising lead structures and structure-activity relationships from multiple synthetic recipes, process conditions, and measurement results.Researchers then use the most promising classic optimization steps to commercialize the most promising candidate materials.

For more information: Chemspeed, Rheinstrasse 32, CH-4302 Augst, Switzerland. Tel: +41-61-816-95-00. Fax: +41-61-816-95-09. Email: chemspeed@chemspeed.com.

Edited by Angelo DePalma
Managing Editor, Pharmaceutical Online and Drug Discovery Online
Email: adepalma@vertical.net