Mirror, mirror

DeuteRx LLC has developed a method for stabilizing and selecting individual enantiomers of drugs prone to forming racemic mixtures by replacing the hydrogen atom at the swivel point with deuterium. Using the technology, the company isolated an active enantiomer of thalidomide that had greater anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity than the original mixture containing both enantiomers.

The idea is that because enantiomers in a racemic mixture interconvert between the left-handed and right-handed forms, replacement of the chiral hydrogen can slow down the interconversion and stabilize each of the two molecules. That allows the different enantiomers to be purified individually...