Merck adds affinity optimization to nanoscale synthesis system

A Nature paper from Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) describes a nanoscale synthesis system that incorporates affinity ranking to enable simultaneous product synthesis and characterization of affinity to a target of interest, which could reduce time and resource demands for drug discovery by integrating optimization steps earlier in the discovery process.

Traditional chemical synthesis methods in drug development utilize iterative design to measure affinity, which entails a series of synthesis reactions to maximize the compound's affinity for a desired target. Such methods can be time and resource intensive, particularly because synthesis reactions require substrate concentrations in the milligram range...